In the Dark
by AriannaK
Summary: A yautja complicates her busy city life. He came to Earth for skulls, but now he's determined to bring back a mate...However, he doesn't get exactly what he hoped for. (Warning: Rated M for adult, sexual content, language, and violence.) (Not exactly a romance, but wasn't sure how to categorize it.) Please R&R! COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

Yautjas were drawn to violence, blood, and death. It was in their very nature to hunt, and to kill. Kain'n was no different in that respect. His fingers were stained black from climbing around the filthy city. He scoured the buildings with a single-minded hunger, but he would not kill just any ooman. He had to find strong, suitable prey.

Over the rot in the sewers, he picked up the scent of fresh blood in the night air and followed it. Even cloaked, he still stuck to the alleyways and side roads of the concrete jungle. When he hit dead ends, he scaled the sides of brick buildings with ease and jumped across the gaps between them. Where the scent was strongest, he crouched on the edge of a roof, and glanced down.

He spotted two oomans, both male. One was bulkier with light-colored skin, while the other had a darker skin tone. They were loading a leather sofa into a truck with a camper. By the scent in the air, he knew immediately that there was a body hidden under the cushions. He knew very little about ooman culture though. They could have been carrying the ooman equivalent of a casket. He needed to follow the males, and learn more about them before he marked them as a target.

He was only a few stories up. When they closed the back and got into the vehicle, Kain'n jumped down from the building, landing on the sidewalk in a crouch. The trucks engine rumbled to life and he quickly ran and leapt onto the back of it. Cloaked, and in the dark, no ooman was going to spot him unless he wanted them to.

He stayed attached to the back of the truck as it headed to the outskirts of the city. They parked beside a white Fiat in an otherwise empty lot. The parking area was off to the side and fairly hidden from the road. The two males opened the back of the truck, and hauled out a body wrapped in thick black plastic bags and duct tape. Kain'n followed close behind them, eyeing the gun in one of the male's back pocket. The advanced technology of his bio mask instantly recognized it as a weapon.

They unlatched a rusted chain-link gate and headed around to the back of the building. It was a small, unlabeled factory. What was left of the paint was a sun-faded green. Cracked concrete lined the bottom of the structure, which was covered in layers of graffiti. They headed towards the small door near the truck loading dock.

A few black dreds slid off his shoulder as he turned his head, listening to the footsteps approaching around the corner. His bio mask rapidly changed settings, so that he could see through the building. The ooman approaching was a female, and armed as well. His body bristled at the thought, however, she could not be his prey. A spot on the left side of her lower back lit up in red. She had a health defect. Honor would prevent him from taking the skulls of weak prey, and calling them a trophy.

The two males were obviously carrying a dead body, and Kain'n assumed they were trespassing. When the female spotted them, weapons would be drawn, and blood would be shed. Kain'n was eager to watch, and see what would happen. He had no qualms about letting them kill each-other.

The dock was elevated so that the big trucks could pull right up to the building and unload. There was a concrete ramp that led up to the door. The ramp started near the corner of the building, where Samantha was slowly approaching. She could hear their shoes crunching on the gravel as they headed towards the ramp.

She whipped around the corner, gun drawn, "Stay where you are, this is the police!"

One of the men dropped the body to reach for his weapon, and its skull hit the pavement with a thud. The other man sprung his hands up into the air and went stiff as a board, dropping the dead body completely to the ground. They took aim, but neither of them fired. The male suddenly lifted his finger off the trigger, and placed his gun back in his pocket with an exhale.

"Don't mess with me, girl! I could have shot you!"

Samantha put her gun away and came strutting towards them, "No, no you wouldn't have. You're a bad shot Jack."

The other man spoke up, "Meaning it would have ricochet on somethin' and he would have shot me!" He poked at his chest, adding emphasis.

A huge grin spread to her face, "Sorry, T. I wasn't expecting company. Now come on, before anyone sees that thing."

She led them inside, and around the machinery, to the boiling cistern of lye. Traditionally, wood chips were mixed in with the highly caustic liquid to turn it into a pulp that's used to make cigarette paper. Once the pulp was gathered, a black sludge was left at the bottom as a waste product. It would drain into the pipes and be burned. The process only took about three hours.

As they lifted the body into the cistern, Samantha put her hands on her hips, "Who's in the bag? I don't remember Lyle putting a hit on anyone recently."

"The less you know Sweetheart, the better."

"Don't call me that, Jack. Now who is it?"

The body sank into the thick, bubbling liquid, "Some thug. A rival. Found him on our block again."

"Jack!" She groaned, "I warned you not to do that! They're gonna start targeting us. Even when we aren't the ones taking out their guys, they think it's us...Plus, you're more likely to get caught trying to get rid of the body. You touch more, leave more evidence. People could see you with the body."

"Hey, no body-no crime."

"Have it your way." She started to walk off, "Let yourselves out. I still have paperwork and other manager shit to finish up here."

Kain'n clung to the side of the building, peering into one of the clerestory windows. When the two men came out, he jumped down. The female wouldn't be a suitable trophy with her health defect, so he would continue to follow the two males. She was involved in whatever they were doing though. Just in case, he placed a small tracking device under her vehicle.

After getting rid of the couch in the back, the one named "T." dropped off his passenger. Kain'n's bio mask was already spying inside. The dwelling had many different floors and rooms. Most of the oomans were dormant this late at night, but he could hear music coming from one section of the building.

Once he pinpointed which room it was, his bio mask highlighted all the weapons. Kain'n's heart sped up with excitement. He quickly slapped a tracker on the roof of the truck and jumped down as it pulled away. He followed close behind the ooman named Jack, curious if he'd head to the correct room or not. He did.

As soon as he went to close the door, Kain'n placed his palm on it. The male struggled to make it budge, "What the hell? The door is stuck!"

Kain'n disengaged his cloaking device then, revealing the bulk of his muscles, his black reptilian skin, and an expressionless metal mask. The ooman's eyes went wide, and he staggered back several feet. The rest of the oomans were sitting around a short table, frozen in place. They were more shocked then afraid. Kain'n could remedy that.

He threw his arms out to the sides and let out a bellowing roar that shook the thin walls of the apartment. Jack immediately grabbed his gun then and started shooting. The female back at the factory had been right-he was a bad shot. Even at close range, most of the bullets landed on the wall behind Kain'n. The few that did hit him, went in his arm and shoulder-not a debilitating area.

When the clip was empty, Jacks hands were shaking with equal amounts of adrenaline and fear. Kain'n glanced down at his bullet wounds, which were slowly oozing green blood. He rolled his shoulders, showing no pain. Then his orange eyes flickered to the ooman named Jack. It was Kain'n's turn now.

Kain'n delivered one punch, but it was enough. Jack's nose caved into his skull and his head snapped back. He collapsed to the ground with a loud thunk, dead. Every ooman in the room suddenly moved at once, jumping from the couch and grabbing the nearest weapon. Kain'n extracted the ornate combi-stick from his back and charged.

In a frenzy, he tried to kill them as past as possible. He jabbed the sharp metal end of the spear into the belly of one ooman, twisting until blood spewed out of its mouth. He whirled around and used his combi-stick to smack the gun out of another oomans hand. Then, he used the pole of the weapon to pin the ooman to the wall by its neck. He quickly added more pressure, snapping the oomans fragile neck in an instant.

He let out out a low, predatory growl when he felt a hot sting on the back of his thigh. He whipped around and stalked towards the ooman that was shooting at him. Bullets hit the metal armor of his chest and then his mask, but he didn't even slow. He swept the ooman off his feet with the combi-stick, and then jabbed the spear tip through his head, and partway into the floor as well. There was one ooman left, a female.

She cowered in the corner of the living room, her eyes moving between him and the open door, but she didn't bolt. She was too afraid. Since she'd seen him, that left very few choices. Kain'n didn't want to have to take her with him-she seemed like a pathetic and weak excuse for a female. Since she was unarmed, he kicked a gun across the room, trying to prompt her to take it.

She didn't so much as budge. Kain'n surged forward with an impatient growl and grabbed her by the neck, hauling her into the air to frighten her. He'd made a mistake in thinking she was unarmed though. There was something in her fist. It was long and slender like a needle but with blue plastic fetching at the end. She viciously stabbed it into his neck, wounding him in a more vulnerable area then any of the males had managed.

He let out a howl of pain and threw her across the small room. She hit the opposite wall, hard enough to break the drywall. His bio mask indicated that she was dead, so he collapsed the bloodied comi-stick and secured it on his back. She'd dropped the dart. His bio mask quickly scanned it, and cataloged it as a weapon for future reference.

He looked down at all the bodies strewn across the room, reveling in all the blood. None of them have given him much of a challenge though. The females actions had taken him by surprise, but he wanted more. He wouldn't take any of their skulls as a trophy. Instead, their deaths would serve as tribute to the goddess Paya.

After his little killing spree, he tracked down the truck the two males had used to dispose of the body. It was parked beside a small house in a quiet neighborhood, just outside of the city. Kain'n wanted a real hunt this time, something that took skill and concentration. He wouldn't just charge into the house with weapons drawn.

First, Kain'n got a glimpse inside the house. A window on ground level proved to be a bedroom. The curtains did nothing to hinder his view with the aid of his bio mask. It was the same thin, dark-skinned male he'd seen earlier. He was in bed, with his arms around a female ooman. Kain'n's chest rumbled with anticipation-the male had a mate to protect.

Gina sat up suddenly, listening to something tapping on the window, "Terrance, get up!"

She started to shake him, "Ok. I'm up. I'm up. What is it?"

The tapping on the window turned to a horrid scratching sound. There wasn't a tree anywhere near the house. Terrance slipped out of bed in nothing but his blue boxers and went to the window. When he peeled back the curtains though, nothing was there.

He crawled back under the covers, "It was probably just a squirrel trying to get in, go back to sleep honey."

Before he could shut his eyes, a different noise began. Both him and his wife slowly lifted their heads to the ceiling. It was a slow, eerie creaking from above them-but it was a recognizable noise. It sounded as if someone was walking on the roof.

He reached behind the headboard of the bed and pulled out a revolver, "Stay right here."

Gina put her hands on her hips, "Where did you get that?"

Terrance threw his robe over his shoulders, and walked from the room, acting like he hadn't heard the question.

She shuffled after him, "Hey, I'm talking to you! Where did you get that gun? That had better be legal or I'm gonna whoop your ass Terrance!"

"Babe, it's not mine. I was just keeping it here a while for a friend. Go back in the bedroom."

Terrance hid the gun in the pocket of his robe and walked out into the street. From farther away, he could see the full view of the roof. Nothing was up there that he could see, but he walked around the back to make sure. Gina stepped outside to watch his back.

The female had left the door open, making it easy for Kain'n to slip past her while he was cloaked, and get inside. There was a picture on the wall of the couple with their mouths touching. Kain'n yanked it off the wall and dropped it to the floor. The glass shattered. The ooman female whirled around to look inside the house. He could smell her fear already.

Her voice was shaky, "Terrance! Someone's in the house!" Gina didn't wait for him though. She ran inside and went straight for the nursery.

Terrance came inside, heart pounding. He saw the broken picture frame but not his wife, "Gina?"

His wife didn't answer. Instead, an airy clicking noise erupted. Terrance held the gun with both hands and spun around the living room, looking for an intruder. When he didn't see anything, he marched towards the hallway to check his daughters room first. A thunderous growl hit his ears, sounding so close it must have been right behind him.

As soon as he turned around, something struck him in the back. He stumbled forward, almost tripping. When he looked back, he could see an odd shimmer in the air. The growl he'd heard had come from right in front of him, not behind him. Some invisible form blocked the hallway that led to the nursery. Terrance didn't hesitate to shoot at it.

It jumped out of the way, and Terrance struggled to follow the transparent, humanoid shape around the living room. He must have got in one shot. Florescent green blood dripped onto his carpet from an invisible being. The gunshots had woke his daughter though. He could hear her wailing from the nursery room now.

His hand tightened on the handle of the gun, "What the hell are you?"

Kain'n listened to the pups crying, considering his next move. He could have killed the male several times already. He was not the challenge Kain'n was seeking, and the ooman had a pup. Since the male hadn't technically seen Kain'n, the rules were void. He slowly backed away, growling low in his throat, then swept himself out the door.

Terrance quickly dead bolted the front door, and ran to the nursery. As soon as he swung the door, a metal baseball bat came at his head. He barely ducked in time. His wife had been prepared in case Terrance failed to deter the intruder.

"Shit, babe I'm sorry!" She tossed away the bat and started kissing his lips.

Kain'n climbed a nearby tree to watch the house, but it was uneventful. Cars with red and blue lights on top came and eventually left. After the sun rose, the male left in his truck and Kain'n rode on the back of it as before. He hesitated to follow when the ooman entered a series of strange rotating doors that led inside a towering metal building. The amount of oomans inside made him uneasy as well, but he squeezed into the space and diligently followed the ooman.

Kain'n hoped to see the male kill another ooman, or that he'd lead him to other badblood oomans and possible prey. Instead, the male sat at a desk for hours on end. Kain'n grew bored and restless. He decided to go see what the female ooman he'd seen at the factory was up to. Maybe she'd lead him to the perfect prey.


	2. Chapter 2

Samantha woke to the unpleasant sound of someone knocking on her door. She tossed in bed, trying her best to ignore it. When it didn't stop, she pushed a pillow over her head to muffle the noise. After what seemed like forever, the sound finally ceased. Her body relaxed and she brought the soft covers up around her chin.

A moment later, the knocking continued, "Ok! I'm coming! I'm coming! Jesus...!"

Samantha trudged to the door and swung is wide open, a seep scowl creasing her face. Craig stood before her, in his bucket hat and his baggy pants. A stranger stood beside him. He was taller, and slightly more muscular than Craig. He had on nice running shoes too.

"Craig?" She sneered, "Thought you were locked up."

"I just got out baby, and I'm back to what I do best. You're still the plug around here, right?"

Craig pushed past her before she could answer. She glared at him as he plopped down on her sofa and kicked his feet up on the coffee table. The other guy only hesitated a second before he followed Craig and sat down on the couch as well. Samantha didn't like strangers in her house. She didn't trust strangers, and this guy looked like he could pass a police physical ability test. He was the right age, weight, and height as well.

"Hook us up babe, we both have money we're willing to burn."

She didn't know Craig to ever have much money, and Samantha would have preferred to sell directly to Craig-she knew he was a dirt bag and not a cop. Then he could sell to whomever he liked and possibly get busted. Instead, he'd brought a friend along. Craig had been locked up recently, and she suspected that the police had offered him a deal he couldn't resist. His new friend had to be an undercover cop.

She had a way to test her theory. Undercover cops could buy and sell narcotics, but were not allowed to actually do drugs. They had a way of faking a joint hit, by letting the smoke to pass from the mouth through the nose, without allowing it to enter the lungs. You can't fake a bong hit though. Samantha grabbed her bong from off the top of the refrigerator. She had a bowl already packed for just this sort of occasion.

Samantha took the first hit, then offered it to the stranger. He declined just as she had expected, "Nah, I'm good."

Craig reached across the table and snatched the bong out of her hands, "I ain't ever passed up free weed!"

"I have more of that reggie, or a little sativa left. Take your pic."

Craig leaned back in the couch, cradling the bong in his lap as though it was his baby, "I'm not here for 420. I know you got somthin' better."

The laws on weed were becoming more relaxed. The police weren't after marijuana anymore. She could still get busted for it, but with her lawyer, Samantha wouldn't fret over any charges. Now that she was sure the stranger was a cop though, she definitely wasn't about to sell them meth. That would get her in some serious trouble.

So she lied, "That's all I got."

"Come on, I need the hookup. I'll buy as much as you got. I have the cash on me."

Samantha had to admit that she was tempted-she was already late on her rent. She needed the money. She'd been wrong before about people being undercover cops. She was overly paranoid about those things. Just because he'd turned down a hit didn't automatically mean he was a cop.

Still, Samantha refused, "Sorry Craig, I don't deal that stuff anymore. You'll have to find someone else."

Craig leapt off the couch and slammed the bong on the table, hard enough that it could have cracked, "That's bullshit!"

Samantha put her hands on her hips and hardened her gaze.

Craig walked into her kitchen and started tearing into her cabinets, "I know you have some! You keep it in fucking coffee cans!"

She was lucky. The first can he opened actually had coffee in it. He spilled the dark grounds all over her counter. When he reached for the other one, Samantha punched him in the back of the neck. He collapsed to the ground like a sac of potatoes, but the other coffee can went down with him. It hit the floor and rolled, but thankfully the lid stayed in tact.

Samantha grabbed him by the back of his coat and drug him towards the door, "Get the hell out of my house!"

The two of them promptly left, and Samantha hit up all of her contacts to warn them about Craig. If he did acquire some hard drugs, the person who sold them would be busted. Then, he'd turn around and try to sell the drugs, and bust whoever buys them. She couldn't afford to loose any customers. After that, she could finally relax and enjoy her morning-not that 1pm was still considered morning. She worked late and slept in even later.

She flipped on the TV as she poured a bowl of cereal. It was on the news channel, "...The gruesome mutilations occurred late on Tuesday night. Four men and one women were found slaughtered in an a downtown apartment with their skin removed..."

She switched the channels until she found SpongeBob. The ridiculousness of it usually had a calming effect. After such a rude awakening and Craig's little stunt though, she was more ticked off then usual. Samantha dug in the couch cushions and found her case of throwing knives. She threw them at the board beside the TV, landing them in a tight group near the center.

When that didn't make her feel any better, she lifted up one corner of her coffee table. There was a divot carved out of the wood that hid a pocket knife under the leg of the table. She flipped out the blade and began jabbing it between her fingers, going as fast as she could, and pushing for as close as she could.

Samantha had an obsession with knives of all kinds-hunting knives, butterfly knifes, bowie knives, boot knives, gravity knives, stiletto knives, switchblades, and more. There were blades stashed everywhere around her apartment. She even had a machete tucked away in her closet. She was good with the knives too. The saying was, "Don't bring a knife to a gunfight" but in Samantha's case, the result might be different than expected.

Meanwhile, Kain'n followed around the ooman male called, "Craig" until he went back to his small dwelling. His bio mask analyzed a window above ground level, determining that it could be opened without being broken. He climbed the building, then Kain'n slipped inside the window, leaving it open.

Craig's voice lured him into the other room. The place was a disorganized mess and smelled like moldy food. Kain'n carefully stepped around the clutter, not making even the slightest sound. There was a naked ooman female laying on the bed, looking half-asleep. Craig threw clothes on top of her.

"I said get out bitch!"

She slowly pulled a shirt over herself, "But you said I could stay here..."

"I've changed my mind!"

"You jerk! I don't have anywhere else to stay! You borrowed all the money I had-where am I supposed to go?"

Craig's hand slapped across her cheek, hard enough for the sound to echo around the room. Tears welled in her eyes, and a red handprint was left on the side of her face. She scrambled to get dressed and grab her things, then she slammed the apartment door behind her. He'd stuck a small, unarmed female. That's all Kain'n needed to see to decide to kill him.

Craig grabbed a pair of panties she'd left behind and threw them in the kitchen trash. That's when he noticed the open window, "Bitch! Letting all the heat out! Wasting my money!"

As soon as the ooman shut the window, Kain'n let out a low, throaty growl. The ooman's shoulders rose and his body tensed. Kain'n toyed with the ooman some. The lenses of his bio mask began to glow orange. He flashed them on and off as he stalked around the ooman, letting out harsh clicks.

Craig ran straight for the door, but the demonic orange eyes suddenly stood in his path, blocking the exit. Craig ran, dove for the bed, and pulled out a sawed-off shot gun from between the mattresses. As soon as he took aim, the creature revealed itself. It was nearly eight foot tall, with black claws, and muscles like stone.

Kain'n didn't let him get in even a single shot. He surged forward and held the barrel of the gun up. Kain'n dug his claws into the males belly with his other hand, and the gun went off with a loud bang. White pieces of the ceiling floated down around them as Kain'n wrenched out the males intestines. The male let go of the gun, and fell to the floor trembling-still alive.

A series of rapid clicks escaped Kain'n, before he crushed the oomans head under his sandal. His skull caved in rather easily. Kain'n scrapped the brain matter off the bottom of his shoe with a grunt, then stalked out of the room. Again, he was dissatisfied with his kill. Hunting oomans almost wasn't a sport anymore.

Samantha preferred to meet her customers in public, because consistently having someone drop by your house and then leave only a few minutes later obviously looked like drug deal. Police usually parked down the road to watch houses, but didn't typically follow suspects around. However, when customers bought too much dope to afford a car payment, or were to lazy to leave the house, she made deliveries.

When that happened, she still tried to be as discreet as possible. She used a burner phone that wasn't attached to her name to keep in touch with her customers. She kept a separate purse that held the product, a scale, and baggies. She didn't have a dope scale either-technically it was a postal scale. To the cops, that made a world of a difference.

Going inside the homes of drug users was a risky endeavor, and it still made her feel uneasy. She didn't trust any of her customers. Even so, Samantha didn't carry a gun with her. If she was caught selling an illegal substance while she had a firearm on her, the charges automatically tripled.

Samantha stopped at a gas station to use a bathroom before stopping at the address. She wasn't about to ask to use the restroom at a customers house-it was unprofessional, and Samantha was all about keeping the transactions quick and business-like. She didn't just ask for money and toss him a bag though. To build trust, she pulled out all the stops.

She showed the guy the zeroed out scale. Then to prove the scale worked properly, she placed a nickel on it. Nickels were exactly five grams. With the customer watching, she cut the product, weighed it, bagged it, and collected her cash. Then, she promptly left to continue her rounds.

Kain'n's orange eyes shifted behind the metal mask, looking up at the sky. It looked different from his planets. It was bright blue, and full of odd, white collections of floating water droplets. Where he was from, the sky did not contain clouds. He watched the slow-moving planes, and the lines of white they left behind them. As soon as the ooman pulled her car away though, Kain'n focused his attention on the house she'd left.

He circled the building, and found the backdoor unlocked. He let himself inside and began looking around for an excuse to kill the ooman that resided there. The ooman had to display violence, or be in possession of a weapon. When he found nothing, Kain'n caught back up with the ooman female and continued to follow her.

The sun sank lower in the sky. After watching her meet with several different oomans, Kain'n finally encountered a male worthy enough to become a trophy. He wasn't as scrawny as the others-he had bulk, had muscle. He also had an abundance of weapons. Kain'n's mask scanned the dwelling finding brass knuckles, knives, and guns.

What delighted him most though, was how clean some of the guns were, as though they were used, and kept in good condition. As well, a few knives had trace amounts of ooman blood left on them. He didn't just collect weapons. The ooman used them often.

Kain'n couldn't wait any longer. As soon as the female ooman got in her car, he stalked towards the dwelling. There were metal stairs leading up to a window. The window was locked, but he wasn't deterred. Kain'n punched out the glass, which wasn't even sharp enough to pierce his tough hide. Kain'n climbed into the window then, and within a matter of seconds the ooman male came to investigate.

Samantha held the crisp $100 bills up the light as always, and was dissapointed in what she saw. They were counterfeit. The guy had to he an idiot to give a drug dealer fake bills. Customers tended to underestimate her because she was female. Samantha would show him.

She angrily threw her car in first and dropped the E-brake before peeling away from the curb in a hurry. She headed home to drop off product and grab her gun. She started thinking that the smart thing would be to have backup though. Samantha scrolled through her contacts and found T.'s number.

"Sup?"

"T. I need you and Jack to meet me somewhere. I'll text you the address. Customer gave me several fake bills. We'll go in there nice and polite, but if he doesn't cooperate, we'll fuck him up."

"I haven't been able to get a hold of Jack at all today."

"Did you slide him a DM?"

"Yea, no reply yet."

"Shit! Well, I need you over here ASAP. Grab your gun."

"I got you, girl."

They both parked around the corner and walked up to the terraced house. Samantha wanted to beat on the door, but calmly rang the doorbell instead. She didn't want to alert any neighbors and have the authorities show up. There was no answer. She rang the doorbell again and politely knocked this time as well.

Still nothing.

Samantha glanced around first, making sure no one was looking, "Give me a boost to the fire escape."

"I ain't got no meat on my bones-why don't you give me a boost instead?"

Samantha couldn't argue. She was curvy and just a bit muscular for a girl while T. was thinner than a pencil. She rolled her eyes as she dropped to one knee and laced her fingers together. She lifted him up without much effort and he grabbed the last bar on the ladder.

Before she was all the way up, she realized that the window was busted. It was recent too-there was still glass everywhere. She tried not to make a sound but the broken pieces crunched underfoot. Inside the house, the furniture was turned over. It looked like there were a few dots of blood on the carpet.

"Looks like someone got here first."

Samantha nodded, "Serves him right if he's handing out counterfeit bills to everyone." Just as she turned away, she heard a noise from inside, "What was that?"

T. merely shrugged.

Samantha leaned towards the window as she listened. It wasn't quite voices. It sounded like strained breathing and grunts, like someone was working out or wrestling. She was just about to turn away when a gun went off, making her jump. Then, there was a growl.

"Did this dude have a dog?"

"Not that I saw."

The noises intensified. It sounded as though furniture was being smashed. A man's voice suddenly gave a howl of pain. The gun went off two more times, and Samantha's heart began to pound. After that, a smooth clicking sound found its way to her ears.

"Oh no! Not again!" T. suddenly started climbing down the ladder in a rush.

Despite her better judgement, Samantha was compelled to stay and watch. There was a loud bang all of the sudden as a door broke off its hinges and hit the floor. Her customer was on his back against the splintered wood, battered and bloody. She heard one heavy footstep and then another, before something large dipped it's head under the doorway and stepped out of the room.

Samantha was transfixed. It was similar to a man, but stood over 7ft tall. It's skin was an onyx black, and made up of small plate-like, reptilian scales that didn't overlap. It's hair was unusual, not like hair at all really. At a glance, it looked just like dreds. Really though, the strands were thick, fleshy, and smooth.

It was looking down, focused on the dying man. It's smooth black dreds hung down on the side of its head like a curtain, hindering her view of its face. It detached something from its thigh that looked vaguely frisbee-shapped. It crouched down, and sliced the man's head clean off with the metal device.

Samantha sharply inhaled with surprise, but otherwise didn't make a sound. The creature heard her anyway. It's head very slowly turned towards her. She found herself staring at a matte bronze mask with a prominent brow ridge, a flat snout, and glowing orange eyes.

When a deep growl emanated from its chest, Samantha stumbled back. She had to quickly bend her knees and catch the railing before she fell down the ladder. She got her feet under her and scrambled down, before bolting to her car. In a hurry, she stupidly pulled on the handle before unlocking it. She cursed at herself and scrambled to yank her keys out of her pocket. Her mind was was still reeling from what she'd seen-but it had seemed as if T. had encountered the creature before.


	3. Chapter 3

The phone rang and rang, and went to voicemail all three times. Samantha groaned and reluctantly slipped the phone in her back pocket. T. wasn't answering. She wanted to know the all the details about when he'd seen the creature before. Samantha liked to know what she was up against.

She'd be away from the dreadful city soon enough though. She opened up the mini safe under her bed and pulled out a real estate flyer. The house in the picture was nestled against the mountain side, and covered in a blanket of glittering snow. She'd picked up the flyer while on vacation in Colorado a few years ago. The house had to be sold by now, but it was exactly the sort of place she was saving up for. Samantha longingly stared at the picture for a moment before she counted her profit for the day, and stashed a few bills in the safe.

She only had an hour before work. And, because she only had one kidney, she wasn't supposed to eat leftovers. Samantha changed clothes in a hurry and got ready for work. She'd have to stop at Jack-n-box for lunch again.

Kain'n was crouched, with the oomans skull in his palms. He looked at his trophy with admiration. He tenderly stroked the polished, white skull before he fed a leather cord through the zygomatic arches on both sides of the skull, and secured it to his belt. As proud of it as he was, one wasn't enough. He wanted more ooman trophies.

First, he had to deal with the ooman female. She'd seen him, uncloaked, and standing over a body. She had to die, or be removed from the ooman planet. There were exceptions to the rule-she wasn't healthy enough to be hunted. However, Kain'n didn't like leaving loose ends.

The female had to die. If she attacked him first, he had the right to defend himself. She had weapons at her disposal. He could tell that she was afraid of him. All he had to do now was provoke her.

As she was headed to the office, a strange clunking noise gained her attention, and her pace slowed. It was just her luck that as soon as the shifts changed and she was manager there would be some sort of malfunction. She quickly glanced around to see if the maintenance guy was nearby, but when she didn't spot him right away, she decided to go check it out herself. Samantha walked back between two machines where the lighting grew dim. Before she could find any abnormalities with the equipment though, the clunk noise grew softer, then disappeared completely.

She stood there a moment, listening, before shrugging her shoulders.

As soon as she turned around to leave though, a different noise erupted, stopping her in her tracks. It was a scratching noise on metal, almost as horrid as nails on a chalkboard. Samantha ducked under a pipe and continued further back into the tangle of machinery. Everything appeared to be in operating condition. Nearing the back though, she got the sinking feeling that she was being watched.

Her palm was clammy from tightly grasping her purse strap, "Hello? Is anyone back here?"

A voice didn't answer, but she began to hear slow, heavy footsteps. There was a slide, then a click. Slide then click. It sounded similar to dog nails on concrete-or some large creature with claws stalking closer. Her chest grew tight, but she took determined steps forward. She squeezed between one big machine and the wall, trying to find the source of the noise, but still saw nothing.

Peeking around all the contraptions, she suddenly froze, and tilted her head to the side. Over the usual factory noises, she could just barely make out the sound of steady breathing. Her own breaths grew shallow, and a hollowness grew in the pit of her stomach. Her eyes moved upward first, and then she tipped her head back to look towards the ceiling-but there was nothing to see. The grated walkways were empty. No one was stalking her.

Samantha let out a tense breath, but that's when she noticed the claw marks. They were above her head, but low enough she could still reach the marks with her hand. Her fingers slid over the deep grooves, and she suddenly found it difficult to swallow. Something had left scratches in the steel frame, as though it were merely made of foam instead of metal.

A low, rumbling growl caused her to tear her hand away and reach for the gun on her ankle-but she quickly thought better of it. She couldn't even find her target. It was hiding in the network of machines and she was more likely to put a hole in one of the pipes than the intruder. She quickly skirted around all the contraptions and made it to her office.

Samantha let out a loud gasp as soon as she opened the door. It was the middle of November, and someone had opened the window! She was surprised she couldn't see her breath in the air! Since the window was higher up than she could reach, she had to climb up on the desk. She shut and locked it with an irritated huff.

As she climbed down, she realized that must have been how the alien got in the factory. She wanted to believe that she was simply paranoid, but with the claw marks and now the open window...She couldn't ignore its presence. However, she couldn't shut down the factory, evacuate the building, and create mass panic either-she'd look completely insane.

Rather then do paperwork in the cold, she decided to take a travel path to see if she could find any signs of the beast. She didn't understand why it was there, or why it hadn't killed anyone yet, but she had to find it and get rid of it somehow. She walked around the factory, acting like she was inspecting the equipment and scrutinizing the employees. She did two laps and then instead of going back to the office, she headed outside.

Very quickly she realized that was a bad idea. It was getting dark, and the wind made the dead branches sway. Despite her hesitance, she didn't turn right back inside. She held her coat closed against the cold, and listened to her footsteps crunch in the gravel. She continued around the building, planning on doing one quick lap. She didn't even get that far.

The big reptilian creature turned the corner with blades jutting from his wrist and its face covered by a stoic, metal mask. She didn't fail to notice the human skull hanging from its hip. It was a scene from a horror movie-except Samantha did not scream. She did not run. Instead, she whipped out her gun and aimed.

Its muscular body was partially covered by a black netting and ornate armor. By the long codpiece between its legs, and its masculine figure, she was assuming it was male. He stood eerily still, either unaware of the weapon she was holding or unafraid. Only his chest moved. His hot breaths hung in the cold air as puffs of white condensation.

Her finger moved to the trigger, but she didn't shoot. Even with the silencer on her gun, someone in the factory was bound to hear it. She didn't want to draw any attention, and she certainly didn't want to have to deal with a body. Samantha took tentative steps back. A soft clicking cascaded from the hulking creature, but she kept going anyway.

When he lurched forward, she didn't pull the trigger. She darted back around the building and flung herself in the door, hiding the weapon in her jacket at the last second. When she looked back to see if she was followed, she tripped over her own feet and almost fell. Nothing was behind her. The door slowly swung closed.

"Are you alright, Boss?"

She didn't even look over at the employee, but bobbed her head up and down.

Samantha went back to her office. She had an employee help her move the heavy file cabinet to prop the door open-she didn't want to feel trapped in the office if it came through the window again. As she finished her work, the number of employees dwindled. Most of the loud machinery was turned off, becoming no more than a whisper in the background. Finally, the factory was ready to be closed. All she had to do was shut off the office light and lock the front doors behind her.

She looked at the time on her computer: 4:15am. She was nervous about leaving work, knowing that thing was outside. Realizing that she was stalling, Samantha suddenly shut her laptop and pushed in her chair. She wouldn't be intimidated by anyone-human or alien. She grabbed her purse, and her gun.

Before going out to her car, she tried to call called T. again, and this time he actually picked up. His voice was hushed, "Bitch, do you know what time it is?"

"Fuck you! T., after you left, that thing killed Big B!"

He still kept his voice down, "I knew it! I just knew it!"

"Have you seen that thing before?"

"It was on my roof! It was in my house!"

"It followed me to work, T. What happened? How did you get rid of it?"

"I shot it, and it left. It bled green. It was weird man."

"That's it?"

She could hear hushed whispers through the phone. She'd woken him up and likely disturbed his wife. "I gotta go."

"Wait, wait, you shot it and its still alive? Where'd you shot it?"

"I don't know! The damn thing was invisible."

"Invisible...?" She murmured, thinking of what had happened in the factory.

"Yea. It was just this slight...wobble in the air."

"Wobble? Are you serious?"

"Yea, you know...like a heat wave in the air you can see movin' around. What did you see?"

"I saw a 7ft, black, muscular reptile-man with dreds."

"...Damn...Sounds like he's just your type!"

"Cut it out!"

"Sorry, sorry. I gotta go. Kill that demon thing for me." He hung up.

A plot formed in her mind. Now she knew to look for the a slight shimmer in the air. The alien had entered a confined space and had got relatively close to her in the factory if she had heard it breathing. If it fucked with her, she'd be ready. It woudn't know that she could see it.

In the parking lot, there was no sign of the hulking alien. She sped home, confident that she hadn't been followed, and jumped right in the shower. After a long day, nothing felt better than a hot, relaxing shower. Steam billowed around her and fogged up the bathroom mirror. Still, she couldn't completely relax. Her mind was still on the days events.

When the door creaked, she tore her eyes open. She was sure she'd shut the bathroom door like always. After a minute, it creaked again, and she peeked out behind the shower curtain. There was nothing there of course. She was just paranoid. The alien couldn't have followed her car. Still, her heart began to beat faster with the possibility.

She stared at the door, waiting to see it move. After a couple minutes passed, she forced herself to relax. She could have easily forgotten to close it. Just before she shut the curtain though, she noticed a faint shimmer and the fog moved in an odd way. Her heart leapt into her throat and she fought to control her breathing. It was in the bathroom with her!

She retracted back into the shower in a panic, but after her initial fear dissipated, she was left with anger. That thing was in her house! It was in her bathroom! She was naked, unarmed, and vulnerable. Samantha had always hated feeling helpless.

She remained calm as poised as she shut off the water and peeled back the curtain. She almost thought the creature had left-but then the shimmer in the air slowly moved further back. She could barely see it when it stood still. Only when it moved could she make out the outline of its body. She slowly stepped out onto the mat and wrapped the towel around herself.

She eyed the sink cabinet. There was a pocket knife in a hidden compartment inside one of the drawers. She doubted that a pocket knife wasn't going to kill a 7ft, 300lb alien creature though. She wanted her gun.

She headed into the bedroom and started pulling on clothes as her eyes scanned the room. She'd lost the aliens form. Samantha grabbed her gun anyway. She made sure it was loaded, and then pretended to aim it at a few objects in her room.

When the space inside the doorway gleamed, Samantha took aim and tried to calculate where his chest would be. As soon as she removed the safety though, he moved. She pretended to aim at her alarm clock, then back at him. He moved out of the way again. Samantha sneered-now he was uncomfortable with the gun aimed at his chest.

The ooman female was training, if he could really call it that. It wasn't as advanced and demanding as any training he would do. Still, she kept her legs apart, her stance balanced. She aimed with both eyes open, which was good.

A gun of that high caliber at such a short range, and aimed at his chest could, prove to be lethal. She had been further away from him at the factory. When the barrel was pointed at him, he simply moved over just a foot. The ooman pointed it at him too many times for his liking. However, she didn't raise an alarm or give any indication that she could see him.

She loved her Glock, but the gun just wasn't working out. Samantha strapped it to her ankle under her pant leg, and went for her knives instead. The transparent shape followed her as she went to the living room, giving her chills all down her spine. Despite her nerves, she landed all the throwing knives on the target board easily, then she grabbed something different. It was a double-edged, serrated bowie knife.

The shimmer in the air stayed close. She inspected the knife, and took a step towards the alien. She pretended to weigh the knife in her palm as she kept her eyes on the target board, but she took another step towards the intruder. Samantha balanced the blade on two fingers, her heart beginning to pound with adrenaline. The center of gravity was off, the handle being too heavy. If she were actually going to throw it, she'd have to hold it and throw it by the blade.

Instead, she intended to sink the sharp metal into the aliens body. She looked at the shimmer from the corner of her eyes, not wanting to give it a warning before she struck. She pretended to get ready to throw the knife, and took another step towards the glimmering shape. It didn't move away. She had nothing but an outline of a person to go off of, but she took a guess where it's vital organs and arteries were.

She struck fast and hard, jamming the blade up under his rib-cage at a 45 degree angle. If she did significant damage to his liver, he'd be unconsciousness in 60 seconds and dead within 5 minutes. Before the blade was all the way in his body though, his fist came at her with lightning speed. She pulled back but the serrations on the blade caught as they ripped at his flesh. She had to let go of the knife handle, but his fist still clipped her jaw.

She held back a cry of pain, but hit the ground on her hands and knees. There wasn't much blood-it was organ damage that would kill him, not blood loss. Still, the substance swelled around the blade and slowly dripped to the carpet. His blood was so bright green it almost glowed.

Samantha got to her feet and took a few steps back, but she should have pulled her gun. The big guy wasn't going down. A savage growl vibrated through the air before the glimmering shape took off running. It crashed through her window, and climbed down the fire escape.

Samantha hesitated, but then flung herself down the steps. She wasn't taking any chances. If that unnatural creature lived, she had no doubt that it would come back for revenge. Barefoot, Samantha chased after it, following the dots of blood and its transparent shape in the dark.

When turned into an alley and saw it climbing up the side of a building, she whipped out her gun and started shooting. His form swiftly dissapeared onto the roof though. Samantha did a loop around the building, but couldn't find any sign of him, so she began climbing. Adrenaline was her motivator as she dug her toes into the brick grooves and hugged a flimsy drain pipe.

She made it to the top alive, and heard the metal knife drop to the floor. Blood oozed over the hand he had pressed to his torso, allowing her to make out the shape of his claws despite the cloaking device. As soon as she drew her gun, it bolted. It ran right for the edge of the roof and didn't slow down. It leapt across a gap and landed on a different roof lower down.

She watched it uncloak, and grab something metal off its back. Several compartments opened and it began healing the wound it had sustained. As soon as she raised the barrel of her gun, he moved to hide behind a wall that supported a raised part of the roof. She secured the Glock to her ankle with a hiss, and sized up the gap between the buildings.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she got a running start and jumped. She was weightless and airborne for only a few second before she hit hard and tumbled. Pain radiated from her shoulder and one ankle, making tears spring to her eyes. She held them back as best she could, and quickly drew her gun.

As soon as she peeked around the wall, two serrated blades swiped at her middle. They came close to gutting her. The tip of one blade barely missed her skin, and tore a hole in her shirt. As she jumped back, she pulled the trigger. The alien staggered backwards with a growl, looking at the hole in the middle of its chest. When it's leg hit the short rim of the roof, it tipped back and plummeted to the ground.


	4. Chapter 4

Samantha carefully leaned over the edge of the roof, ready to shoot again if nessessary. There was an alley below, lined with dumpsters. The cloaking mechanism had disengaged-The alien was lieing face-down on the pavement with it's limbs sprawled out. She let out a heavy breath and placed the Glock back in the holster. Now all she had to do was get off the roof. 

There was an exterior fire escape, but it didn't go all the way to the top. It ended at the highest window, and that was still a ways down from where she was standing. Her left shoulder ached, and lit up with pain anytime she moved it. It felt broken. Climbing was escrutiating because of the injury. Still, she managed. 

She swung one leg over the ledge, then the other, and carefully climbed down until she reached the first platform of the fire escape. From there it was easy, just several flights of stairs. Even though her gun had a silencer, there was no telling if or when cops would show. She needed to get far away from the area. However, she coudn't fight the temptation to get another look at the creature. 

When she turned into the alley though, the body was gone. Her head swiveled back and forth as she reached down for her gun again. Bright green dots of blood led her in the right direction for a while, before she lost track of them. He could have finished healing his wounds or been on another rooftop already. Her motivation was completly drained. 

Her feet burned from running barefoot through the dirty streets, as well as from the bitter cold. She'd just got out of the shower before chasing after it, and her long hair had the back of her shirt completly soaking wet. The combination of being wet, cold, and barefoot was miserable. There was no telling where the alien had run off to, so Samantha trudged home. 

It wasn't until she faced her door that she realized it was locked, and she didn't have her keys. The alien had busted out her window, and she had followed. She'd have to go back outside, around the building, and somehow reach the fire escape to get in her apartment. Samantha let out a groan and let her forehead rest agaisnt the wooden door. 

"You alright?" 

She didn't lift her head off the door, but turned towards the source of the voice. A 6'5" muscular male with a bald headand a dark mustache was walking down the hall towards her. There was a quarter-sized scar near his temple that he said he got from an accident at work. Gary rented the apartment right besides hers. She always thought he was kinda hot, but found him a little creepy too. She ran into him in the hallway, in stores, and on the road too often. She'd caught him staring at her on several occasions as well. 

"I haven't had a great day."

"You're locked out?"

"Yep."

"You can crash at my place for the night."

She held back the urge to roll her eyes, "No thanks...but do you think you could you lift me up to the fire escape?"

"No problem."

"Thanks."

As soon as she lifted off the door and faced him straight on, he pointed at her face, "Did someone fuck with you?"

She felt her jaw where she'd got punched, and pain danced under her skin, "Its nothing. You should have seen the other guy." 

One of his big, meaty hands cupped her jaw, "That's quite a bruise."

"I'm fine." She twisted her face away.

His thick fingers pulled the collar of her shirt off her shoulder some, "Are you sure?"

Samantha glanced down, finding that an ugly blue and green bruise had consumed her collar bone, "God damn it!"

"Can I take you to the hospital?"

She grit her teeth, "No, just help me into my apartment."

He followed her outside, and around to the fire escape. Instead of getting on his knee and boosting her up, he merly bent down and grabbed her legs. He effortlessly lifted her up so that she could grab the lowest rung, then gently set her back on the ground. When she climbed up, he followed. Before she could protest, he scooped her up and carried her through the window to avoid the broken glass.

She went and unlocked the door, then held it open for him, "Thank you, Gary."

"You need me to help you patch that window?"

"Naw, I got it."

He walked towards the door, but his eyes looked like they were scanning the entire apartment top to bottom. The glass from the window was broken outwards, not in. What was really the alien's blood looked like bright green paint in her carpet. Gary must have noticed both of those oddities, but he didn't comment.

"Let me know if you need anything."

"I will. Thanks again. Bye." She shut and deadbolted the door.

Kain'n wore heavy, weighted armor to build stregnth and endurance. Wounded, bleeding, and with a human pursuing him though, the armor had only hindered him. He'd climbed a building and jumped across a roof but that hadn't detered the ooman female. Then, he'd made a mistake. He'd stuck to the traditional wrist blades instead of using the plasma cannon mounted on his shoulder.

When he hit the ground, he had been rendered unconsciousness. If his heart had stopped, his wrist device would have detected it. An imergency signal would have automatically be broadcasted. Since he was still alive though, his had gear sent an electric current through his body instead. He regained consciousness with a jolt, and heard the ooman coming down the metal staircase.

He quickly fled the area, but was dissapointed when the ooman did not catch up. It was a rare occurrence that he became the one being hunted, and he found the challenge exhilarating. No other ooman had put up so much of a fight. She'd tricked him, attacked first, then chased him down. The ooman was everything a female was supposed to be.

He hadn't been able to patch his wounds while he was on the roof, but he wasn't in danger of collapsing just yet. Kain'n doubled back, and followed the oomans scent back to the brick building she resided in. He didn't like what he saw. The ooman was with a male.

The hormones coming off the male indicated that he wanted to mate with the female. He let out an indignant huff-it appeared that she'd abandoned the hunt in favor of a different activity. As Kain'n watched the male pick up and carry her though, there was a familiar stirring in his loins. The injuries he endured and trophies he collected were all to impress females.

Cloaked again, Kain'n climbed up the side of the building, but passed up her window. He would let her have a short intermission. In the meantime, he stood on the roof to finish tending to his wounds. There was minimal organ damage. He'd healed the other bullet wounds with the enzyme cream, but he had to seal these new wounds the traditional way if he wanted them to scar. That meant getting out the burner.

Samantha rummaged through all her drawers until she found the duct tape. She started patching the window with it when she heard a horifying noise. The sound made her palms sweat and her heart race widly. It was a loud, unnatural roar. She wanted to belive that someone on the floor above her was watching Jerrassic Park too loud, but she knew better.

Another terrible, bellowing roar ripped though the air, and she suddenly abandoned the idea of duct taping the hole. Tape wasn't going to keep him out. Nothing was going to keep him out. She shoved every piece of furniture she owned against the broken window, and then waited.

When her fingers tightened on the handle of the gun, she could feel the sweat collecting in her palm. Something was on the metal fire escape stairs. She could hear it's heavy footsteps. She thought that he'd throw his weight against the furniture to force his way in, but no. A blast of red light nearly blinded her as a gust of wind knocked her onto her ass.

She blinked away the spots in her vision, finding shards of furniture around her. The alien bent down under the window frame, then straightened to its full towering height in front of her. A mechanical gun on his shoulder tipped down, aiming at her. Three red dots appeared in the middle of her chest, making her gulp.

The ooman suddenly spoke to him, "Wait! Wait!"

Kain'n didn't take orders from lower-lifeforms like oomans. When she tossed her weapon at his feet though, it prevented him from shooting. She was unarmed, and he did not wish to tarnish his honor. The plasma cannon powered off, and hunkered down closer to his shoulder.

"You can understand me?"

He could understand a few different Earth languages. It was pronouncing them that was was difficult for him, "Sei-i."

"...Is...Is that a yes?"

She'd given up her weapon and surrendered. Now, she was only trying to stall her demise. It was pathetic, and Kain'n was deeply dissapointed. He had expected more from her. A low growl pulsed from his chest as he tried to decide how to deal with her now.

But then the ooman spoke up again, and her words surprised him, "Why don't you take off all that armor, so we can have a fair fight?"

Kain'n let out a small trill, admiring the ooman female at his feet. She wasn't done fighting after all.

Samantha didn't think a word of what she was saying was getting through to it, until it removed the cannon on its shoulder. It started undoing other straps and removing armor in the mittle of her desimated living room. Samantha watched the fluid way its muscles moved. It carefully set each item on the floor in a pile off to the side.

She stood up, trying to find her courage, "...That black mesh goes too."

"H-ko."

It's deep, orotund voice gave goosebumps, but she still pushed him, "The mask too. Take it off."

"H-ko."

He wore only the loincloth, the netting, and his bio mask. The only weapon he'd left on him were the wrist blades. He let the shiny serrated blades drop and let out a low growl, ready for the fight to begin. The ooman seemed more reluctant.

"Remove the mask."

"H-ko."

She licked her lips nervously, "What if I were to try and headbutt you? It's not fair."

He relented. The planets air was breathable, just thin, and not healthy for his body long-term. As his black claws slowly reached up to his face, he had the oomans full attention. She was even leaning forward some, eager to see what he looked like. As soon as he lowered the mask though, the oomans jaw dropped with an exhale and her gaze fell to the floor.

His jaw tightened, "Dtai'k-de!"

Samantha scambled away from him in fear, her heart pounding against her ribcage. He'd been stabbed, shot, and had fallen off a roof but still didn't die. Her confidence was dwindling. Samantha's eyes went to her gun, but she didn't make a move to grab it.

"Dtai'k-de!" He lifted the wrist blades and took a step forward.

Glancing back at him every few seconds, Samantha grabbed a stool and went into the kitchen. She had an iron ulu hidden on the top of the cabinet. The weapon was vaugly horseshoe-shapped. One side had a handle, and the other side was a long blade that covered her fingers. It was a multi-function survival tool that could make precision cuts or chop like an ax.

She held the ulu securly in her fist as she went back to the living room and squared off with the reptilian-creature. With the cloaking device off, she could aim for vital areas more easily. Without the armor to protect him, his body was more open to attacks. She knew she had no chance of survival agaisnt that cannon gun of his, which was why she'd talked him into getting rid of it. Still, with him weilding those long, twin-blades though, she doubted that her chances had improved a whole lot.

She licked her lips, "Don't you have a smaller weapon?"

He glanced down at the blades with a shrug, turning them so that they glinted in the light. He didn't seem to think that they were over-sized. In Samantha's eyes though, he was practically weilding swords. To her surprise, the blades suddenly retracted and he removed the device from his wrist. He grabbed an ornate dagger from the pile of equipment instead.

She began walking around him, keeping inside a 360-degree circle. She didn't want to be directly in front of him. He could strike at her easier, and use his forward momentum to gain an advantage. She took a steadying breath, and then attacked first. She closed the gap between them in a second. To prevent getting injured though, she focused on his weapon more than she focused on her own.

When he brought the blade up, she grabbed his wrist to prevent a strike. Then she took her opportunity. She attempted to make a low, horizontal slash near his abdominal region. His fist came at her so fast though, she had to move. The blade barely grazed him.

He quickly broke her hold on his wrist, and the large dagger blade came at her. She quickly moved 45-degrees to his right side to avoid the attack, and managed to make a shallow cut near his elbow. She moved again, but he countered her movements to keep her from slipping behind him.

He struck again and again, taking steps forward and leaning his weight into every strike. He was trying to keep her off-balance, which made her have to focus on her footing, and not fighting. She bobbed and weaved, using her shorter height and smaller body to an advantage. However, his foot suddenly stepped right on top of hers, trapping her. She coudn't get free fast enough.

The blade came towards her chest, and she brought up her left arm up vertical to her body like a shield. The blade slid into her forearm, between the two bones. Samantha let out a sharp cry, but didn't hesitate to get him back. The ulu wasn't a stabbing weapon, but it could make long, deep cuts.

His arm was extended, leaving his brachial artery more accessible. She quickly reached across and cut under his arm, between the bicep and tricep. Bright green blood gushed from the wound, and his grip on the dagger slipped. Samantha pulled the knife out of her arm with another pained cry. For a moment though, he was disarmed.

Her excitement didn't last long. He bulldozed her to the ground with a savage growl. The impact knocked the wind out of her, and splinters of wood from the broken furniture dug into her back. She made a verticle cut across his cheek and jaw with his dagger. The area contained major nerves of the face and was extremely painful. His mandibles spread out to the sides before he released a booming roar. 

The noise was so loud, and so incredibly painful that she dropped both the weapons to cover her ears, "Stop!"

The noise ceased immediately, but a loud ringing continued in her ears. Samantha slowly eased her eyes open, finding the alien face looming just inches above her own. His eyes were a shade of pumpkin-spice, and the contrast between his orange eyes and black skin was striking. She slowly inched her fingers towards the dagger, but he caught the movement immediately. His hands slammed down on her arms, pinning them. Crushed under his weight, there wasn't much she could do to free herself.

Kain'n slid his hands up her arms with a sultry rumble, enjoying the feel of her soft, warm skin. Both weapons were just barely out of her reach. He grabbed them both, taking the temptation away from her. He tossed away her odd-looking knife, and brought his sleek dagger to her throat. 

When he started to press the blade against her skin, she didn't cry or beg. Instead, her body merely stiffened. Her grey-blue eyes stared up at him, unblinking, and full of loathing. When he started to draw blood, she sucked in a sharp breath. Her fists clenched at her sides, but she knew she'd be dead before she could hit him.

Kain'n didn't want to destroy a female like her. To him, she was worth so much more then a trophy. His clan allowed oomans as mates, but he'd always overlooked them. As Kain'n stared down at this ooman female though, he felt a strong sense of want.

The foreign word felt thick, and odd on his tongue but he said it anyway, "Gor'geous..."

Kain'n stroked the side of her face with his claws, but refused to take it any further. He lifted off of her, and slowly took the dagger away from her throat. Keeping her in the corner of his vision, he began to put back on the bio mask, backpack, as well as his armor and weapons. The ooman sat up to watch him, but stayed on the floor. She didn't try to go for the gun, though it was nearly at her feet. He walked over the broken furniture debri and turned on the cloaking mechanism before climbing out her window. 

Yautja translations:

Sei-i - Yes

H-ko - No

Dtai'k-de - Fight


	5. Chapter 5

That deep voice kept echoing over and over in her head, "Gor'geous." She kept reconsidering the pronunciation, thinking that he had to have meant a different word. She'd been called "pretty" or even "beautiful" but never georgous. She was thick, curvy, and certainly not a model. Men complemented her grey-blue eyes most, and not much else. 

When the doctor spoke, she was distracted in her own thoughts and missed what he'd said, "I'm sorry, what?" 

He finished putting the figure-eight brace around both her shoulders, "You'll have to come back in for a checkup so I can make sure the bone is healing correctly. The secretary can set up your next appointment." 

"Thank you." 

As soon as the doctor left, a familiar face skirted in the door, "Boobies!" 

Smantha rolled her eyes and quickly slipped her shirt back on, "T., what the hell are you doing here?" 

"I heard you were in the hospital. Here." He handed her a rose. 

Samantha felt the soft, pink petals. T. had tatoos of gang signs on his back. He had a criminal record. He'd killed people and helped dispose of the bodies, and yet he was still a sweetheart. She knew that if he didn't need to pay off debts, he woudn't stick around and keeping doing what he did. 

"Thank you...but how did you know I was here?" 

"Girl, I got spies all over the place." His eyes went wide and he shifted them around the room. 

Samantha coudn't help but crack a smile, "Well it sounds like your information may have been a little exaggerated. I'm fine. I'm leaving the hospital now." 

"Well what was the brace for then?" 

"Just a fractured collar bone. It's nothing." 

He pointed to her forearm, "And those stitches?" 

"Flesh wound."

"And the bruise on your jaw?"

She pushed her way past him, "I'm fine, really. The broken bone will heal in about six weeks."

T. followed after her, but waited until they were in the empty parking lot to ask, "Did you kill the demon?" 

She let out a breath, "Its not a ghost or a demon."

"What the hell is it then?"

Alien...It was at the tip of her tongue, but she felt rediculous saying it out loud, "It's...intelligent-it understood what I was saying. It has advanced technology and weapons I've never seen before. Exactly what it is or where it came from doesn't matter. I've seen it bleed-its a living thing, and it can be killed."

"People are spooked. If you coudn't kill it, maybe we should-"

She interupted him, "Who all did you tell?"

"...People have to know..."

She grabbed the front of his shirt, "Did you tell Lyle?"

"Of course not! I ain't that foolish. Everyone knows he hates to hear bad news." When she released his shirt, he added, "But you know, he'll find out soon enough on his own."

"Not if I can destroy that thing before he even knows it exists."

"Don't get yourself killed trying to prove something to him."

She shot him a level gaze.

"I'm serious, girl. That thing is more dangerous then you know...Jack is dead."

"What?" 

"Found out from a friend, but apparently it was on the news. Five bodies were found in his apartment. They were killed the night we went to that little factory you work at...Some of them had their skin peeled off."

Samantha covered her mouth, but then asked, "Does his grandma know?"

T. nodded his head, "Craig is dead too, as well as a few of your customers, including Big B. That makes ten bodies so far."

She started shaking her head.

"I woudn't connect you to it, except you sent that text to me, warning about Craig. That demon, or whatever it is, has been following you."

She swallowed hard, "You think I've been leading it to eveyone?"

He raised his palms up, "Hey, I'm just saying that's what it looks like. Why hasn't it killed you yet?"

"It didn't kill you either! This isn't my fault! It started when YOU came to the factory! For all we know, it's following you around and you led it to me!"

"Ok, ok. You're right...So what do I do?"

"Restrict your contact with people for now. If you see it again, try to kill it."

Samantha continued walking, leaving him behind her, and found her white Fiat. Before getting in though, she took a quick gance around. She coudn't be sure the alien wasn't in fact following her and not T. now. T. hadn't had any contact with Craig or her customers. Maybe the alien was just saving her for last. Thankfully though, she didn't see any shimmer of a cloaking device.

As soon as she got in her apartment, she automatically went to unzip her coat, but forgot about the busted window. Her place wasn't toasty warm anymore. Instead, a cold draft found its way in and snaked around the apartment. Samantha rummaged through the pieces of singed furniture, looking for the duct tape.

Before she found it, a nervous feeling washed over her and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. It wasn't something she saw or heard that unnerved her-it was something she smelled. It was a pungent, musky smell, but it wasn't unpleasant. It reminded her of how a guy smelled after working out. She took a deep breath, drawing more of it in.

He didn't want her fear to take over first. Kain'n silently krept behind the female, thickening the air with pheromones before he announced his prescence. A derivative of testosterone gave it the musky smell. Even though she didn't realize it, the scent was having an effect on her biology. His mask indicated that her breathing was elivated, her heart rate was increasing, and her blood pressure was rising. With it, her sexual desire would heighten.

While most oomans would have been oblivious to his prescence, this female was more attentive. Without even the slightest sound from him, she suddenly jabbed her elbows into his ribs with surprising force. Then, she swiftly grabbed a splintered piece of wood off the floor, and whipped around to face him. Kain'n uncloaked, and let his wrist blades drop, answering her challenge. His goal was to unarm her though, not to hurt her.

"What do you want? Why did you come here? Why are you killing people?"

A series of clicks erupted from him, before he slowly glanced down. His long dreds slid off his shoulder, and the bone rings clinked together. His clawed fingers reached out to the polished white skull tied to his hip. He lifted it up, stroking it tenderly, then extended it out to her.

"Th'syrai."

She'd known Jack for years. She still visited his grandma who lived in a group home only a few blocks from her apartment. Samantha didn't give a shit about Big B, but her customers were her main source of income and he was killing them all off-just to keep their skulls apparently. Samantha tried to focus and form a plan of attack, but anger clouded her decisions. As soon as she made her first move, she'd already failed.

She charged forward and tried to plunge the stake of wood into his belly, but his hand shot out and grasped the weapon. She pushed and pulled at the broken piece of wood, but he had an iron grip on it. He tore it out of her hand with a growl and tossed it behind him. Samantha reeled back in case he took a swipe at her with the serrated blades, then quickly spun around to find a different weapon.

She had knives all over the apartment, but quickly remembered the machete. She skirted inside her bedroom closet. As soon as her fingers wrapped around the green silicone handle, two blades punched through the closet door. They were dangerously close to her face. When he jerked his arm back, the serrations caught and he ripped the door clean off the sliding track.

Her knees went weak as she stared up at his tall, imposing figure but hesitation could get her killed. She grit her teeth as she stabbed the machete through his foot. She instantly pulled the blade back up to strike again, but she wasn't fast enough. The palm of his hand came up and struck her chin, forcing her head up. At the same time, his other hand twisted her wrist in a way that he could easily pry the handle of the machete out of her grasp.

She tried to bolt then, but his arm stretched out in front of her, catching her waist. Samantha let out a scream of frustration and anger. He restrained her without effort, pinning her back against the nearest wall. When he thrust the machete towards her, she winced-but heard it punch through the wall. She rose to her tiptoes when she glanced down and saw that the blade was stuck right between her legs.

He slowly drug the serrated blades down the wall beside her head, slicing open the drywall. His other arm bent until his elbow rested against the wall, bringing his body close to touching hers. Samantha wasn't easily intimidated. Under the circumstances though, she rolled her shoulders forward, hunching slightly. Her heart beat wildly as his face lowered towards her, until the metal of his mask brushed her cheek.

His body suddenly straightened and his head swiveled towards the door. A low growl rumbled from his chest before she heard the pounding on her apartment door. Samantha took her chance. While he was momentarily distracted, she reached up and curled her fingers around a handful of his fleshy dreds. She meant to try and rip them out, but just squeezing them in her fist seemed to have a tremendous effect.

At first, Kain's breath caught short and his knees buckled under him. Then, a deep rumble bubbled up from his chest and he molded his hard body against hers. His crotch guard pressed into her flesh, his cock eager to force its way inside her. When she let out a sharp yelp of pain though, he was reminded of her broken collar bone. She released his hair, and he quickly lifted his weight off her.

"Samantha! Open up! Are you alright?" She recognized Gary's voice from outside the apartment.

When she'd squeezed his hair, it had given him a powerful rush. Now he was all too eager to mate her. Problem was, he was likely to harm her in the process. Already, it was difficult to hold himself back. If he began to mate her, there'd be no stopping himself from completing. Even if she cried in pain, he'd still hold her down and thrust until his seed erupted inside her.

The door handle began to jiggle. His bio mask indicated that the male behind the door was armed. Fighting over her with the other male would only increase his drive though. He'd win, and then want to claim her body as his prize. It would be callous of him to injure her further. Kain'n didn't trust his control.

As soon as she heard the door woosh open, the alien vanished. She watched the shimmer in the air move past the door, then Gary stepped into the bedroom a moment later. Samantha blinked at him, immediately noticing the gun in his hand. He yanked the machete out of the wall and thrust it into her fingers. Then he firmy grabbed her forearm and swung her behind him protectively.

His voice was hushed, "Which way did they go?"

"They?"

He shrugged, "I can't imagine just one man managing to get you in a corner."

"Well it was just one, and he's gone now. I didn't picture you as the type of guy that would own a gun though."

He scratched the back of his head, "It's just for emergencies...You know, maybe you shouldn't stay here. Do you have a close relative you could stay with-your father maybe?"

Samantha snorted. Her father was the last person she'd want to stay with, "Look, I have to get to work. Thanks for looking out for me and all, but I don't need the help. I can take care of myself, ok?"

"Right, sorry." He sounded sarcastic, but headed for the door anyway.

Samantha gathered her stuff together, and headed out to do her deliveries. Since some of her customers had been killed off though, and others were spooked, business was slow. She sat in her car, just being bored for the most part. She started searching on her phone for a contractor to fix her apartment window when she received a text.

"I'm looking for Crank." He'd capitalized it as though it was someone's nickname, and not a drug.

She didn't recognize the number though, so she shot back a text, "Who is this?"

"Troop."

The name almost sounded familiar, but she couldn't picture a face to go with it. She had to make up for her lost customers if she wanted to pay her rent though. Samantha sent another text to set up a time and place. When he sent the directions, she assumed it was going to be a public place. Instead, it turned out to be a dark, narrow alleyway.

She walked into the shadow of the two buildings, despite her hesitstions. There was a young man standing near the end, smoking. He wore white hightops, a beenie, and had something tattooed on his knuckles. He was short for a male, and wouldn't qualify as a police officer. That alone calmed her nerves.

"You're Troop?"

He lifted his hand. At first, she thought he was motioning for a fist-bump, but he was just letting her see the tattoo lettering. Above his knuckles in black ink read, "Troop". While she was distracted watching his hand, his other one whipped out a revolver.

Samantha didn't cower, and she kept her voice perfectly level, "You're making a mistake. Do you know who I am?"

"I don't care who you are, or who your protection is. You cost me a lot of money, and I'm simply asking for it back. Drop the purse on the ground, and back away."

She slowly set the bag on the ground, "You have the wrong person."

"Really? Derek was one of your customers, wasnt he? After you left his place, he was dead. The police raided the place and took all the weed-MY weed, MY money. Now back the fuck up like I told you!"

"I didn't kill Derek."

"I don't give a shit if you did or naw. I just want my money." He tilted the gun sideways, as though it was more threatening that way.

She slowly backed away, allowing him to reach for the purse. As soon as his fingers touched the straps though, she snapped. The gun went off as soon as she moved. She was left with a painful ringing in her ears, but no injury. She grabbed the barrel of the gun to prevent it from being pointed her way, then threw him up against the brick wall. The back of his head hit, but he didn't release the weapon.

She drug him to the ground then, shoving her knee into his groin. He still didn't release the gun. She only had one good arm. She could maintain her grip on the weapon or throw a punch, but not both. Troop wasn't hindered in the same way.

He threw punches and yanked on her hair, but all she did was snarl at him. When his fist collided with her broken shoulder though, pain threatened to criple her. She headbutted him hard, but he struck again anyway. This time when his fist hit her broken collar bone, she blacked out.

She regained consciousness quickly. Her front teeth hurt so bad, she quickly lifted her hand to her mouth. Blood came back on her fingertips. Her lip was split like he'd kicked her in the face.

Troop grabbed her bag, "That was easier than I thought it would be."

He spit on the ground next to her, then took off. Samantha pushed herself up, her shoulder throbbing. It was even more swollen and purple. There was a grinding sensation when she moved it now, and she worried that the bones weren't properly aligned. Still, that wouldn't stop her from showing up to work.

The shoulder brace was hidden under her shirt. She only had to apply a heavy amount of makeup to her face to hide the bruises. She didn't want anyone to know what had happened, not her employees, not even her father. If she wanted to get revenge on Troop though, and get her product back, her father was the one she needed to call. She debated her options, probably just stalling the inevitable.

Her finger hovered over the button as she plopped down at her desk, but then she let the phone slip from her grasp and hit the floor. She drew in a slow breath leaned away as she stared at the severed hand on top of her desk. Its fingers were curled in towards the palm, and she could see the bloodied ends of bone where the wrist had been cut. She used a pen to flip it over. A tattoo on the knuckles read, "Troop" in bold black letters. 

~Yautja translations:

Th'syrai - Skulls


	6. Chapter 6

When Kain'n returned to his prospective mate, she was asleep this time. She was on her side, with an arm under her pillow, and her body covered with a heavy blanket. He tried the same technique as before. The air thickened with his musk as he silently crept to the side of her bed. This time though, he combined it with purring. 

The sound was scaresly heard. It was reserved for very few situations in his life, and used exclusively on females or young pups. The auditory frequency lowered neuron activity in the brain, and created a calm, relaxing effect. When he peeled the covers off her body, she barely stired, but goosebumps appeared on her bare flesh from the cold air. His hand slid up her leg to the hem of her underwear, soothing away the bumps. Still, she didn't wake up. 

A yautja female would have heard him the second he entered the dwelling. A yautja female wouldn't have only chastised him for touching her when she was trying to sleep, she would have likely kicked him in the groin to make sure she got the point across. The ooman, however, was vastly different. He could touch her now, without rebuke. Though he trained for self-control and restraint, Kain'n could not pass up such an opportunity. 

His eyes and his fingers traveled south, where he slid his thumb over the soft wrinkled soles of her feet. Compared to his, her feet were small, soft, and pink. His were deeply callossed, spotted with scales, and his toes were tipped with sharp talons. When he grabbed one of her stubby little toes though, she yanked her foot away. His purrs deepened, but when he tried to touch her other foot, she pulled her knees up to her stomach. It amused him that her feet were so sensitive. 

Kain'n stopped his purring and reached to touch her foot again, hoping this time it would rouse her from her sleep. Before he touched her though, he remembered the machete. He didn't mind having to disarm her. Actually, it aroused him to do so. However, he was never going to get her to submit to him if she kept drawing weapons. To remove the temptation of stabbing him, this time he'd remove her weapons before attempting to mount her. 

Right away, he was glad of the decision. His bio mask scanned the room, finding a gun at the front of her bed. The holster was secured between the matresses. Her arm was under her pillow, making her fingertips drape right over the handle of the gun. If he had tried to wake her and inciate sex, it was likely that he would have ended up with a gun aimed at his chest at point blank range instead. 

Pressure in her badder made her gain consciousness, and she reluctantly glanced at the clock: 10am. It was still too early for her, but she doubted that she'd be able to fall back asleep without getting up to pee first. She drug herself into the bathroom to do her business, still half-asleep. She started to yawn when she noticed a shadow appear at the bottom of the door. 

Instantly, she was furious! He'd probably waited until she was in the bathroom on purpose-when she vulnerable and away from her gun.

However, her scowl slowly transformed into a sneer at remembering the knives she had hidden. When pulled out the drawers and searched inside the cabinet though, they were gone. She searched the entire bathroom, including the vent, but there were no knives.

Samantha tightly gripped the sink counter, resisting the urge to punch the mirror, and tried to come up with a plan. Anything could be used as a weapon. She looked around for a second, then unscrewed the metal shower-head so she could use it like a club. She twisted the door handle slowly so that it wouldn't make a sound, and then swiftly whipped the bathroom door wide open.

She brought the metal shower head down on his knee, making him stagger backwards with surprise. Her mistake was when she tried to hit him again. This time, he was ready for it. He caught the shower head in his fist and sternly yanked it away from her. The veins in his arms bulged as he crushed the object into a mangled wad of useless metal.

Samantha skirted around him and lept onto bed. She reached down by the headrest, feeling for her Glock, only to realize that it was missing. She quickly threw herself back off the bed just before he pounced. His weight hit the mattress in the exact spot she had just been, and the legs of the bed collapsed.

Her eyes bulged from their sockets. Crouched on all fours on top of her broken bed, he looked like some sort of feral beast. His dark bronze mask smoothly turned towards her, the cords in his neck drawing tight. His whole body had gone tense and ridged. The muscles in his biceps rippled under his onxy black skin as his claws began to dig into the bedsheets.

Samantha took two steps back, then ran. Like a shadow, he moved to follow her. She tipped over tables, dressers, and lamps just trying to slow him down. In a frenzie, she searched the apartment. All her weapons were missing-the machete, the iron ulu, the gun, the taser, and even the knives from her kitchen drawers. Every single weapon was gone, and she could hardly belive it was possible. 

Samantha swept the toaster off the counter then whirled around to chuck it at him, "That machete was a birthday gift! Where is it?!"

A series of rapid clicks escaped him, amused at how angry the little female was. Her weapons were stached at his hideout within the city, and he intended to return them to her eventually. For now though, she was better off without them. She didn't need weapons for the activity he had planned.

Now that the ooman realized there were no weapons around, she remained stationary. Kain'n advanced, prepared for her to lash out, yet eager to pair with her. Stalking towards a yautja female could induce a fight though, especially now when it wasn't during the normal mating season. To calm the ooman female, Kain'n began to purr. It started out as a mere vibration in his chest but grew to a deep, audible reverberation.

The sound was no miracle. If the female was not interested, or would not let her guard down, it would not have the intended effect. This ooman, as small as she was, was not done testing him. His purrs deepened, but even then she would not relent. She grabbed a hard, flat object with a picture on it off the counter and swung it into his ribs.

The hulking alien let out a clipped growl, but remained completly motionless. Seeing that a cookbook did no damage, Samantha dropped it and rushed to find something else to use against him. She pulled out an oven pan, but it only bent agaisnt his armor and a sturdy frying pan didn't so much as leave a scuff on his metal mask.

When the ooman ran again, Kain'n followed, stalking her slowly. Most yautja females iniciated sex, but some had to be wooed. The ooman was prooving to be a difficult one. He had thought that he'd removed all weapons from the premises, but the female was resourceful. She turned a heavy ashtray, a chair, a bottle, and other household objects into defensive weapons. Kain'n showed a great deal of patience, and let her continue her relentless attacks, knowing that she would either run out of stuff to use or wear herself out.

As she backed away from him, her eyes rapidly searched around the room for another weapon. Kain'n chuffed at her softly. It was his way of asking her to stop running, to stop attacking. The noises were pretty much the extent of yautja sweet-talk. His intentions were to breed with her, and right now he was asking nicely.

The ooman wouldn't turn her back to him, but began feeling around on the desk. She was more or less trapped in a corner, so Kain'n pressed forward. Her hand curled around something, but his bio mask didn't register it as a weapon. He let out gentle clicks, followed by a low, gutteral rumble.

When she squeezed past him, he felt a jolt of pain. He glanced down to see that she'd jammed something into his thigh. His bio mask only had the basic weapons cataloged and she was using everything like a weapon. He pulled it out of his flesh, and examined it with a cocked head. It was a short metal tube with some sort of ink inside-a pen. Since it had managed to draw blood, his bio mask automatically stored the information for future reference.

Samantha knew that if a gun hadn't been able to kill him, nothing in her apartment would. Even so, she didn't want to give up trying. She jumped over shards of broken glass and tipped over furniture, desperatly trying to find something-anything that had a chance at wounding the alien. She was so angry and frustrated that tears began to cloud her vision.

She was out of breath, and out of ideas. He could have killed her at any moment, but chose to draw out her death to torment her her instead. He was toying with her, and it was humiliating. Rather then continue to fight, she decided to try and escape instead.

When she ran to the door though, he charged like a bull. She barely got it unlocked and open before his shoulder hit the door, ripping the doorknob out of her hand, and forcefully slamming the door shut. A crack formed in the middle of the door. It was made of solid wood, and if had just hit it a little harder, it would have broken in half.

The window was her only other option then. She faked to the left before racing towards the broken window, but she didn't make it. Even with his large size and weight, he managed to move with fluid grace and agility. Before she knew it, his massive, toned body stood right in her path, blocking her escape. She struggled to stop in time. With all the debri on the floor, she tripped and fell flat on her face instead.

She ended up staring at the claws on his feet, at how his big toe was situated further back, and he had a sort of dewclaw. Her eyes traveled up to his thick, muscular thighs, to his prominent codpiece and the V of his hips. Now that she was on the floor before him, his height appeared even more immense. She swallowed as her eyes continued upwards, taking in his chiseled abs and broad shoulders.

Kain'n stood up straighter, puffing out his bare chest. The ooman's eyes were usually darting around the room, but now they were still and focused on him. He figured that she was scrutinizing him, that she was finally considering him as a potential mate. He had no doubts in his mind that she would find him a worthy partner. His musk thickened in the air, and his body warmed with antisipation.

When her eyes landed on his dreds, an idea jumped to her mind. Last time, when she had squeezed his odd hair, it seemed to cause a tremor to run though his body. Because of that, she had to assume that his hair was the only place he had any real pain receptors. If she could just get her hands on his hair again, maybe she could finally take him down. It was her last ditch effort. Samantha pushed herself up with a wince, trying to ignore the throbing in her broken shoulder, and squared off with the towering creature.

He realized that oomans must have slightly different customs when it came to mating, but Kain'n wasn't sure what to think of the females stance. She didn't verbally tell him off. She didn't run. She didn't grab a weapon. She just stood there, staring at him.

He waited for her judgement, for some sort of indication that she'd accepted. However, the seconds passed by painfully slow. He leaned forward some, sniffing the air, but he couldn't disern whether or not she was ready to breed. He let out a loud grunt, trying to prompt her to decide.

Kain'n couldn't be patient any longer. Since she still didn't do anything, he decided to make the first move. He began by prowling around her, slowly getting closer and closer, trying to entice her with the waves of heat coming off his body. The ooman turned with him, never letting him out of her sight.

Since subtle noises and body language didn't work, he amped up his tactics and went in for a more direct approach-subduing her by force. As soon as he grabbed ahold of her, his cock twitched upwards with excitement. The ooman was not so aroused. She reacted viscously, just like a yautja female would to an uninvited touch.

He quickly manipulated her so that her back was to him, then he clamped his hand behind her neck. He applied pressure downward until she bent over. Then, he leaned his weight on her, forcing her knees to give. She ended up on all fours, trapped under him. Trapped didn't mean subdued however.

The ooman thrashed under him, scratching and growling like something feral. He sharply jerked his face back when her arms lifted above her head. Her fingers were reaching back for his sensitive dreds. Instead, her hand clipped the side of his mask. Her fingers managed to press the release lever and his bio mask slipped to the floor.

Kain'n let out a snort, conveying his disagreement with her actions. Still, the ooman faught. He didn't want to hold her down, lest she struggle and re-injure her shoulder. However, that left her room to flip onto her back, where she was able to target him much easier.

Fear churned through her at seeing his uncovered face, making her all the more desperate. His gaze was intense, burnt orange eyes dead set on her body. Samantha grit her teeth, jammed her knee into his crotch guard, and reached for his dreds. He sat up some, causing the beads in his hair to clink together with the movement. He kept his hair just barely out of reach.

Samantha let out a scream when his claws lurched towards her belly. She planted her foot on his leg, helping to propell herself out from under him. His nails must have got caught on clothes though. She heard the fabric tear, and then she had to kick off the rest of her destroyed pants. She scrambled back, but his claws swipped at her again, this time catching her shirt. The fabric ripped easily, her top almost coming off completely.

Without the masks filter, some scents were stronger, while others were dulled. The females scent was heightened now. It clouded his mind, amping up his mere desire to a blinding, carnal need. It was hard for him to think about anything else besides conquring her body. The oomans injured shoulder slipped to the very back of his thoughts.

She shrieked when she felt his calloused hands close around her ankles. With a vicious growl, he drug her towards him. Her back fired up with pain from sliding across the carpet. When she struggled, he roughly pinned her arms to the floor. He slowly pressed his body ontop of hers, and her anger crumpled to fear.

"...Sub'mit." His voice was a deep rumble that sent uneasy shivers up her spine.

Her breathing kicked up a notch as he hunched his back and lowered his head to her belly. His jaw parted and a long, thin tongue slipped from his mouth. Her stomach quivered as his tongue poked through the holes in her shirt to lick her flesh. She sucked in her tummy, fearing that he would bite down and begin to gut her.

But then, his attention moved elsewhere. His mandibles crawled over her skin, steadily making their way up to her chest as her heartbeat quickened. His mouth nuzzled the space between her breasts, only nibbling at her skin gently. When one of his dreds slid close to her chin, Samantha saw her opportunity.

She tucked in her head, and sucked the end of his fleshy dred into her mouth. Before she could bite down, a roar thundered from his chest and he jumped away from her. His breaths were loud and heavy, like that of a wild stallion. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides.

His whole body was buzzing-he could still feel the touch of her warm lips around his fleshy dred. His cock was impissibly hard now, and his control was quickly slipping. He fought to remain calm and composed, but he felt he was quickly loosing that battle. He needed her concent quickly, before his resolve snapped.

Kain'n stalked towards her, grabbed her waist, then easily lifted her up off the ground. He roughly forced her back against the wall and purred as he molded his body agaist hers. His hands swept up the side of her body, enjoying her curves. When the ooman lifted her arm to try and interfere, he quickly restrained her with a dark growl.

Wounded, disarmed, and pinned agaisnt the wall, the ooman still would not submit to him. Her eyes narrowed, she kicked her legs, and squirmed fiercly. He wanted to bite her, mark her as his. Maybe then she'd give in to him. The urge was hard to resist.

Her shoulder hurt so bad, she could hardly lift the one arm-and now, the inhuman beast was staring at her with the intensity of a snake about to feed. His four mandibles twitched in a very insect-like way before slowly spreading out to the sides. His jaws parted as he leaned in, intent on taking a chunk out of her shoulder. When his teeth pressed down, her whole body tensed.

Out of the corner of his vision, he noticed the female's face contort with pain. He hadn't even broken the skin yet, but Kain'n immediately relaxed his jaw. He uttered a soft purr, and just trailed his mouth over her soft skin instead. Whether she realized it or not, the oomans body began to relax-she was giving in to him. His hand moved to take off the metal codpiece, but he abruptly stopped, and cocked his head.

There was banging on her door, then a male voice said, "This is the police! We've received a number of noise complaints!"

Samantha cringed-cops were the last thing she needed. Even with an unnatural creature at her throat, she didn't want their help. They would just make matters worse.

To her surprise, the hulking alien man slowly set her down on her feet, and took a step back. His head was turned towards her door. He seemed to know that police meant trouble. Before he whisked himself away though, his clawed hand reached out and stroked her cheek. Samantha should have felt revulsion, but the touch only confused her.


	7. Chapter 7

Samantha slowly lifted her hand and touched her fingertips to her cheek. When she thought about how gently his clawed fingers had stroked her, she didn't understand. He could have easily dug his nails into her throat and ended her life. Her hand fell to a fist at her side when the police continued to pound on her door. In nothing but underwear and a shredded T-shirt, she went to answer it before they broke the door any more than it already was.

It was two male officers. The taller one spoke first, "Hello ma'am. We've received several noise complaints for this apartment-may we come inside?"

Samantha tipped her hips arrogantly, "No, not unless you have a warrant."

"Ma'am, are you aware of the level of noise you've been making lately?"

"Yes."

"If it continues, we'll be forced to contact your landlord and he may choose to evict you."

Samantha scoffed, "Go ahead and call him, he won't evict me."

"We will make sure to contact him...In the meantime, I'm writing you a citation."

"A citation? For court? You're kidding me!"

The officer quickly scribbled on a piece of paper then handed it over to her, "Have a nice day ma'am."

Samantha shut the door, wadded up the ticket, and almost threw it away. If she missed court though, they'd just issue a warrant for her arrest-even for something as stupid as a noise complaint. She tacked the citation to the leg of the upside-down table, and rested her face in her palms with a groan. Maybe if she had been more polite they wouldn't have given her a ticket, but she blamed the creature.

Her apartment was trashed. She was loosing money-the remainder of her customers were spooked, and weren't returning her texts. He'd stolen her weapons. And now she'd received a citation from the police. If it was a normal thug harassing her, she wouldn't have stood for it. The big guy needed to be taken out by whatever means necessary.

Many big cities had a network of underground tunnels like freight, cable car, subway, and even prohibition tunnels. Some of the tunnels still had a purpose, while others were abandoned, flooded, or sealed off. Chicago was no different in that respect. Nearly 40ft beneath the city, Kain'n took up residence in the maze of passages.

There, he could rest without the possibility of being discovered by an ooman. He felt at ease in the pitch black, still able to see quite well even without the bio mask. This far down, there were almost no insects or rodents. Laying on the the hard, gritty concrete did not bother him. However, his mind would not let him rest.

Kain'n did not decide to pursue a mate lightly. Females outnumbered males on his planet. Though the females chose who to mate, it meant that he could be selective in which females he attempted to woo. Males trained the young, but the females birthed and raised the pups. Bearers needed to be strong, and capable females.

Kain'n had heard conflicting things about oomans as mates. Some said they were frail and overly emotional. Others said they were adaptable, and tenacious. Though oomans had been hunted by yautjas since they evolved, ooman mates were rare to see even in his large clan. It seemed that they were not overly sought after as mates. However, oomans were still a young species and flaws were to be expected.

Kain'n was more concerned with their positive attributes than their flaws. Genetic diversity would benefit his lineage. Oomans could mate all cycle long, and weren't restricted by a particular season like yautja females. Their creativity would he beneficial in survival situations. Their tendency to form deep attachments would drive them to be protective and loyal.

Kain'n didn't think wooing an ooman would be difficult. If not for the constant interruptions, Kain'n was confident that he would have gained breeding consent already. He only had a few days left of his hunt, and so he needed to be prepared to take the female with him when he left.

In his younger years, he had failed to follow proper the procedure for transporting foreign fruit and it had almost got him suspended. He certainly didn't know the proper procedure for bringing back a living organism from a different planet-but he was sure it involved some paperwork. As much as he hated asking for favors, especially from a former mate, he had few options. Shesaúda worked in customs, and would know how to go about bringing an ooman to the home planet.

He scrolled through the hieroglyphic list of contacts, and found her name. When the transmission was declined, he simply clicked the button again. They weren't exactly on speaking terms. He did that six more times before a blue hologram popped up from from wrist device. He could only hope that she was in a reasonable mood.

" _Shesaúda, I have a request of you._ "

Her eyes closed for a moment, then she let out a sigh, " _Alright. What is it?_ "

" _I wish to bring an ooman back to the home planet with me._ "

" _Alive?_ " She scoffed.

" _Yes_."

" _...For service, companionship, or a mate?_ "

His jaw tightened, " _Mate_."

Her head tipped back slightly. He figured she was going to say something arrogant about his choice in a mate, a weaker species. Instead, she got right down to business, " _I want the hyper-sonic._ "

" _No_."

" _Fine-acquiring clearance will take a couple seasons. She'll need to be vaccinated, screened for mental illnesses, implanted with a breathing device as well as a tracking device per the clan rules._ "

" _I was hoping to take her with me when I end this hunt._ "

" _To accelerate the process, she'd have to pass a naturalization test._ "

" _She isn't informed of the clan rules or customs._ "

" _I doubt an ooman could retain that much information in the short few sleep cycles it takes to reach Yaut._ "

Kain'n let a low growl slip past his teeth, " _The hyper-sonic craft is too steep a price Shesaúda._ "

" _You must leave the planet and acquire clearance first-yet you cannot leave an ooman on Earth once they have seen our kind. You are forced to surrender the hyper-sonic, or kill her._ "

" _That condition is void-she has a health defect. She is not worthy prey, and she does not know enough of us to be outright slaughtered._ "

Shesaúda turned her face away, pouting.

" _I've heard of aliens being taken off planets immediately, without prior clearance. Why in my case does it take so long?_ "

"In your profile it notes that you attempted to smuggle illegal goods. That's enough of a excuse to put a hold on your request for clearance, until you can be properly reviewed."

" _It was fruit, it was many cycles ago, and it was a mistake. You know that. Your pursuit of the hyper-sonic craft is most unhonorable._ "

She wasn't fazed, " _It's a single-passenger vehicle, and you'll have a mate along with you now. It's meant for short-distance travel, not hunts. You don't need it. That's my price._ "

On one hand, the hyper-sonic craft was a steep price for an ooman female he barely knew. On the other hand, he did not want to wait so long for clearance. Even though she was still only a potential mate, he would protect her as though she was already considered his. The ooman had been attacked once already. Kain'n would not feel right leaving her unguarded.

" _The aircraft is yours._ "

" _Thank you. I'll put a rush on the request for clearance, and based on your status, it won't be denied. Now, if you have her nearby I'd like to send me a blood sample analysis and a retinal scan so we can get her in the system._ "

Kain'n let out an amused huff as he thought about the ooman, " _A blood sample will be easy-getting her to sit still for a retinal scan may be a task._ "

Shesaúda was quiet for a moment, then finally said, " _You are aware that the ooman has to be willing, aren't you? Not all clans have that rule in place._ "

" _I was not aware of that._ "

" _Yes, well it seems you won't be needing my services after all...and I was really looking forward to confiscating that sleek hyper-sonic craft from you._ "

His jaw tightened as he narrowed his eyes at her hologram image.

" _Six cycles together and you gave me only daughters. I'll drag some sort of benefit out of that wasted time._ "

Another low growl slipped from Kain'n's chest, but he bit back words. As vindictive as Shesaúda was, he still had qualms about insulting a female. " _The ooman will be consenting by the time I leave the planet. Do your job and get me clearance by then, and you'll get your hyper-sonic craft._ "

" _If you say so...I'll send you files on ooman courtship and mating rituals, as well as case studies on ooman attraction._ "

" _No, that won't be necessary. I'll court her MY way._ " He quickly ended the transmission before she could argue.

The old school mafias had all but died out-but organized crime hadn't been completely eradicated. Her father was a modern crime lord, often mixing traditional mob violence with more present-day crimes such as health care fraud. Normally, she just would have called in favors and had the nuisance removed that night. Seeing as the nuisance was some sort of unnatural being though, it wasn't that easy. Her father had a tendency to overreact to threats, so she didn't want to get him involved.

However, she did need some form of backup. Samantha picked up one of the rifles from the table, and began to inspect it. Hand guns allowed for easier movement. She didn't exactly want to go swinging around a long, heavy rifle in a cramped apartment. She needed something with power though. The one she held was a "stopping rifle", designed to stop the charge of a dangerous game animal.

She glanced up the man, "I'll take it."

"It's true then? Something is after you?"

She handed over the cash. It was everything she had saved up for years. "My advice: take a spontaneous vacation as soon as I leave. It..." she hated to admit it, "It seems to follow me around."

"So you probably led it right to me?" He shook his head, then his eyes settled on the table of guns.

As soon as he reached for one, she heard a deep thud behind her. Samantha swung around in a heartbeat, her finger already on the trigger. The predator caught the muzzle of the gun before it could be aimed at his chest. His mask was intensely focused on the weapon. His gaze swept down the length of it, but when the glowing lenses landed on her, a growl bubbled up from his chest.

She didn't have time to think of her next move before she heard the familiar sound of a shotgun being cocked. She instantly released the rifle. Before she could leap away though, a heavy weight hit her straight in the chest. His fist sent her stumbling backwards and right into the table of guns. The clatter of metal hitting the floor was disrupted by two deafening shots.

Samantha didn't even look to see if the towering alien was hit or not-she knew a shotgun wouldn't stop it. She reached for the rifle loaded with .577 tyrannosaur rounds. The creature only had to take two strides before the wrist blades plunged into the mans body. The sound was sickening, and he didn't die immediately. His head slowly lowered to stare at the serrated blades buried in his chest. His hands began to shake.

As soon as the blades retracted though, his body dropped to ground-limp and lifeless. Her eyes widened as blood began to ooze from his mouth. As soon as the predator switched his attention back to her, she took aim. His muscles tensed as his body jerked to the side an inch, but his feet stayed planted where they were. Her finger was on the trigger, but he could sense her hesitation.

A deep scowl creased her face, and her fingers tightened around the gun. He just stood there, staring her down, and it pissed her off. If he thought he was impervious to all bullets, he was an idiot. The gun she was clutching could easily kill an elephant. Still, even at such a close range, he didn't try to move out of the way.

Samantha slowly got her feet under her. The creature shadowed her as she stepped over the dead body, heading for the exit. A deep growl reverberated through the air, making her heart speed out of control. The closer she shuffled to the exit, the louder his growls became.

His lifted a clawed finger, pointing to her bruised shoulder, "No."

He knew why she was hesitant. Her collar bone was already broken, and the rifle had quite a kick to it. She was not looking forward to the recoil. He thought that she wouldn't shoot him because of that-but she would prove him wrong.

By the time you hear a gunshot it's already too late to move out of the way. He could watch her trigger finger, but an even earlier warning was her breathing. She slowly began to exhale-and when she paused, he knew. He swept himself to the side just as the gun went off. Burning pain on his side informed him that he wasn't completely successful in dodging the bullet though.

Pain contorted her beautiful features, then her knees started to bend. Kain'n barely had time to catch her before she smacked the ground. She'd passed out because of the pain. He'd seen the bruises that swallowed her shoulder, and had warned her not to. However, she was still very determined to kill him.

Some females acted that way when it wasn't the breeding season. They wanted nothing to do with males. They were about as easy to court as a hungry tarantula. Even though oomans didn't have breeding cycles, this female was very resistant.

Within a matter of seconds, her fingers desperately curled around the homeostasis netting on his torso. He glanced down at her face, finding she had already recovered. Blue-grey eyes like storm clouds stared up at him. As soon as his chest pulsed with a low vibration, she began to thrash in his grip. He quickly released her, not wanting to injure her shoulder any further.

"Get away from me!"

Kain'n respectfully took a few steps back. When her eyes glanced down at the gun she'd dropped, Kain'n's chest boomed with a growl, warning her. He would react out of self-defense, no matter how much he liked the ooman. Gladly, she was smart enough not to go for the gun again. Instead, she turned and ran.

A harsh clicking noise erupted in her ears, but she still hopped in the car anyway. She fastened the seat-belt around her in a hurry and threw it in first, but she only got a few feet before something struck the front of the car. A flash of red lit up the windshield, just like when he'd blasted his way into her apartment. Before she could jump out, the predator was suddenly beside the car. With one fluid motion, he punched out the window.

Samantha briefly turned her face away as bits of safety glass bounced off her skin. And the creature didn't stop there. The veins in his hands bulged as he grabbed a hold of the door. The metal creaked and groaned before it broke free of the hinges. With something that powerful, that angry after her, when she was trapped and unarmed...Samantha was petrified.

His voice sent uneasy shivers down her spine, "No run'ing."

That superior strength could be tamed in an instant though. Instead of throwing the door like she expected, he merely set it down in the frost-covered grass behind him. Samantha cringed when he reached in the car, thinking the worst. However, he merely cut her seat-belt away with his black claws. He used those same sharp claws to softly caress the side of her face.

Then, he proceeded to tug her out of the car, "Ooman, yuu must em'brace this."

Samantha didn't resist-she knew very well that he could rip her out of the car if he chose to. He guided her so that she was standing directly in front of him. Her head swiveled around, surprised that no one was in a window, or walking to their car to see them. He stood there like a statue in front of her for several moments. She shifted her weight to her other leg, just waiting for him to do something, anything.

Finally, she risked a glance up at the creature. As soon as she did, a calming purr vibrated through the air, and her body was wrapped in a welcomed wave of heat. His hands slowly rose to his face to remove the matte-bronze mask. She remembered seeing its face before. When she heard the wisp of escaping air, Samantha quickly dropped her gaze.

It took several long moments for her to look up at him again. She tried to keep her focus on his cinnamon-orange colored eyes. However, she soon found herself staring at his mouth. Two rows of pointed teeth guarded the slick, pink cavity that was his throat. And as if that wasn't menacing enough, he possessed two sets of crab-like mandibles that were tipped with long, sharp tusks. The very idea of him biting into her had her stomach churning.

She took a step back when he reached for her, but that didn't stop him from claiming her hips. He drug her closer, forcing her to be mere inches from touching his chest. She didn't know what he was doing or why. That uncertainty turned to fear, and eventually into panic.

Samantha tore herself away, wincing when his nails scratched her hips. As she backed away, he steadily crept forward like a predatory animal locked on a target. She new better than to run, but there were few other options. She took off like a bullet. Even though she couldn't hear his heavy footsteps behind her, she knew he'd follow.

She didn't make it very far before her whole arm went numb. It was likely to leave a lump when it healed if she didn't make sure it was aligned properly. It needed to be in a sling. Samantha turned a corner, planning on heading to the hospital. When she noticed a familiar gang sign on the side of a building though, she suddenly came to a halt. The idea that came to her mind was either really good, or really bad.


	8. Chapter 8

She scanned the rooftops for the alien to make sure he was still trailing her. Without him, there was a chance that her plan would just get her killed. Santos and his gang were a small clique-but they were always heavily armed. They never fought fair, and never fought alone either. It was quickly getting dark though, which made it difficult to see that shimmer of a cloaking device. Though couldn't spot him, she had a feeling he was close.

Samantha debated her options a moment, then decided to take her chances. She knew right where to find trouble. Santos and his men always hung out at Little Caesars. With a deep breath, she headed into rival gang territory, knowing very well that any one of them would recognize her.

A young, scrawny guy was outside the building, smoking. He spotted her first, "Whoa, what are you doing?"

She didn't even look him in the eyes, "I'm going to buy some pizza." She leaned towards the window, trying to see if Santos was inside.

"No, this here is our turf. Go back to Domino's."

Samantha sneered. This guy had to be new, "I'm looking for Santos."

A deep African American voice sounded behind her, "Santos ain't here, but I'll take you back to my place."

Her hand instinctively went to her hip for a knife, but she didn't have one on her. All her weapons had been stolen by that hulking beast. She wasn't worried about the scrawny new guy. Samantha turned around to face the other man. He was tall, heavyset, with a short beard.

"Look, I'm unarmed. I'm injured- " She moved her shirt away to show proof of the bruising that covered her collar bone, "And I've come alone. I just need to speak with Santos."

"What do you need to talk to him for?"

"Business."

"A fine piece of ass like you shouldn't be meddling in this business. You should be on your knees, sucking my dick for a fuckin' living."

She pressed her tongue against her teeth, fighting back a reaction. He was trying to get under skin on purpose, just to piss her off. Samantha was in no shape for a fight. Plus, she knew what he had coming to him-an almost 9ft reptilian monster with a lust for blood.

"No?" He let out a hoarse chuckle, "Well come on bitch, lets go see what Santos thinks." His hand clamped on her shoulder, the same one with the broken collar bone, and led her towards the parking lot, "Hands on the car."

Samantha grit her teeth together, but got into a frisk position. She tensed as his hands began to slide over her body. She shut her eyes, trying to remain calm when his hands cupped her beasts from behind. When his fingers slid between her crotch though, and lingered, her resolve broke. She kicked back her leg and struck him in the knee.

He hollered in pain, and staggered back, but didn't go to the ground. "You little cunt!"

He seized her by the hair, and drug her to the back of the car. When he opened the back, Samantha began to struggle. The scrawny guy quickly put out his cigarette and came to help. Together, they threw a hood over her head, zip tied her hands in front of her, and tossed her in the trunk. Cramped in the dark with her shoulder throbbing in pain then, she began to rethink her plan. After all, the creature hadn't intervened when she'd run into Troop, even though he had to have been watching.

Kain'n climbed into the rafters of the building where they'd taken his female. More men arrived, each of them heavily armed. They talked a lot, as oomans usually did. Kain'n sat back and waited, trying not to let the urge to hunt spur him into action too quickly. That proved to be difficult however.

When they struck his female, Kain'n jerked forward, almost leaping to the ground immediately. His blood was rushing through his veins already. His hands tightened on the metal railing, slowly denting it. A strong yautja female wouldn't allow a male to come to her aid though. He had to allow her to defend herself.

They tussled for a brief moment, but then went back to talking. Kain'n huffed. He was eager to see how his female would do against so many opponents. He wanted to see her steal one of their weapons and slaughter them all. In his opinion, oomans talked too much.

Sensors in his bio mask suddenly went off, tinting his vision in red. Someone was aiming at him. Kain'n tipped his head down, and watched as all the oomans slowly lifted their guns towards the rafters. Several pistols, revolvers, and machines guns were now aimed almost directly at his chest.

He finally toned in to what the female was saying. She wiped away the blood dripping from her nose, "You can see it, right? It looks like nothing more than a heat wave from a vent-but shoot it, and it will move."

Kain'n cocked his head. The female had approached her enemies, had lured him there on purpose. It was an ambush. He let out a barely audible hum, delighted with the females tactical nature. More and more, he was sure she was the mate for him.

He had no problem rising up to the challenge. It would just give him an opportunity to showoff to the female. As soon as he crawled forward, the whole group of oomans took a step back. As they coked their guns and removed safeties, a thunderous growl spilled from his chest. He climbed directly over them, then dropped into the center of the group.

Several oomans cursed under their breath as they scattered. He switched vision modes and disengaged the cloaking mechanism. His eyes scanned each opponent, watching their hearts pound faster and faster inside their chest cavities. Every one of them was young, healthy, and armed. Physically, they were suitable prey.

Once again though, the oomans just stood there in awe of him. Video games and movies had desensitized them somewhat. Since neither of them made a move, Kain'n outstretched his arm and pointed to one of the males. His opponent swallowed, and his grip tightened on the bat in his hand. As soon as his wrist blades dropped, everyone suddenly reacted at once.

Guns went off for several seconds before he heard their leader Santos shouting, "Don't shoot! Watch the crossfire you idiots!"

Kain'n's chest expanded as he drew in a breath. Most of the shots had hit his armor, but now he had a few oozing bullet holes in his chest. Almost everyone's eyes widened, surprised that he didn't simply drop to the floor. They were low caliber rounds, and his skin was tough. Now it was his turn.

Kain'n jumped into action. He punched one male in the throat, elbowed another in the back of the neck, and plunged his serrated blades in the belly of the third. The more they ganged up on him though, the less he could making premeditated attacks. He struck when he could, going for whatever areas they left vulnerable. He steadily kept turning in a circle, preventing his back from being turned to any of them for long.

Kain'n quickly realized that in his desire to impress the female, he'd gotten ahead of himself. While he held superior fighting skills compared to the oomans, Kain'n was not used to fighting so many opponents at once. Normally, yautjas picked off their prey one at a time. He had never been trained to fight more then three enemies at once.

He grabbed his smartdisc from his side to even the odds. He couldn't break his focus for even a second to reach back and grab a more substantial weapon like his combi stick. Using the plasma cannon on his shoulder would be a last resort. Simply blasting his foes to pieces wasn't going to impress the female, and he was running out of days to court her.

Samantha had planned to sneak off once the fighting started, but the big guy wasn't going down. Nothing seemed able to puncture his armor, but the straps holding them on could be cut. Pieces of armor dangled off his body now, barely being held in place. A small serrated knife was suck in his side. He was covered in enough injuries that if he was human, he would have probably bled to death already. Still, he just kept on snarling and fighting.

Samantha went to one of the bodies on the ground, and took the trench knife out of his hand. Several men were still going at the creature, but he was slowly winning. Samantha knew his fleshy dreds were a weak spot. He was much taller then her, but somehow she had to reach them. If she could cause him enough pain to stun him, she'd have time to finish the job.

Kain'n yanked the baseball bat out of the oomans hands, and quickly snapped it in half with a dark growl. A bullet hit his shoulder and he whipped around to face a darker-skinned ooman. He leapt forward and tackled the male to the ground, despite the others kicking and stabbing him in the back. That's when his female jumped in. Her knife went right for his hair.

He slit open the males throat with his dagger, then caught her blade in his other fist. She quickly drew back the blade, cutting his hand, and went right for another strike. Kain'n swiveled around, extending one leg so it swept her off her feet. Being on the ground was a disadvantage for him. The oomans kicked at his ribs, and groin now.

He tried to stand when another loud bang went off, and he felt a sharp sting in his calf. One male jumped on his back, then another threw a chain around his neck. He growled low in his chest as he strained to stand. When another gun went off, he faltered, going down one one knee. His breaths were slow and labored now.

Then, one of them got a hold of his dreds. The ooman jerked Kain'n's head back with them, and lifted a blade to his throat, "Die motherfucker!"

Kain'n let out a bellowing roar as he forced himself to his feet. He plunged his twin blades into the mans chest, then ripped away the chains around his neck. Like a freight train, he pushed through the crowd of oomans, slicing them open, twisting limbs, and cracking ribs. He had to be careful not to slip in their blood, or trip over bodies. When only two oomans remained, he knew he had won the fight.

Neither of the two oomans were his female though. Kain'n rapidly surveyed the room, knowing she had joined in the struggle to take him down. He spotted her near the wall. Her knees were bending, her eyes were only half-open, and a hand clutched her stomach. He glanced down at the blood on his dagger, realizing he was the one that stabbed her.

The alien suddenly came to a halt, and turned his focus on her. He was breathing heavily, like some great big beast. There was a dagger in one hand and two serrated blades on the other, both dripping blood. That metal mask showed no pain, no fear, no remorse.

Samantha could feel the blood trickling through her fingers, and she was lightheaded already. There was no fighting him. As soon as her knees started to give out under her, he was right there. He caught her around the waist, and hauled her upright. He gently leaned her back against the wall, letting it prop her up.

She swallowed hard and looked up at him. Again, she was taken off guard. His actions didn't make any sense to her. Her focus didn't stay on him long though. Her gaze landed behind him, watching as one of the men grabbed a machine gun. She held her breath.

The big guy squared himself in front of her with his hands braced on the wall just as the gun went off. Bullets scattered back and forth on the wall beside her. It lasted several long seconds before the clip finally emptied, and she could let out the breath she'd been holding. She glanced back up at the hulking alien. His biceps were trembling, and a green line of blood trailed down the front of his throat from under his mask.

She realized then, without a doubt, that he didn't want her dead. But she had to ask, "Why?"

He attempted to answer her, but only a garbled rumble escaped him. Blood was pooling in his mouth. Kain'n grabbed her other hand and firmly placed it over her wound to slow the bleeding. Then he turned around to deal with the last two oomans.

As they both turned and ran, he reached behind him for the combi stick. He dispatched them quickly, and immediately came back to the female. He didn't have time to skin the bodies or collect trophies. She was laying on the floor now. Her body was weak, her eyes barely responsive.

He shoved her hands away to inspect the wound. It was definitely made by his blade. The injury was not deep though, and hadn't punctured anything vital. He smeared healing enzyme cream over it, then gathered her off the floor. He hating how her head limply dangled over his arm. She'd lost too much blood.

Cloaked, he carried her through the city, all the way back to her place. He ducked inside her window, and placed her on the bed. She needed nothing more than food and rest now. As he tended to his own wounds, he debated healing her further.

It was not his norm to heal others wounds, especially if they were not life threatening. It was a waste of time and resources. However, he had an ulterior motive. He wanted her uninjured when they mated.

He grabbed her shirt and easily tore the fabric away. Her skin was swollen and bruised. While the bone was only fractured before, his bio mask now revealed that it was completely broken. His ship was currently hovering just outside the planets thermosphere, or he would have taken her there for healing. The enzyme cream was no good for broken bones, and the shot he had with him would be painful.

He placed his palm square on her chest to keep her still, then injected a healing accelerator right into the bone. As he'd expected, the ooman jolted awake with a blood-curdling scream. Her feet dug into the mattress as her back tried to arch, kicking the sheets off the end of the bed. Her blunt nails threatened to break through even his tough skin.

When water ran down from the corner of her eyes, he felt a pang of guilt. She hadn't been trained for the same sort of pain tolerance that he had. Like a young pup, she was still easily broken. Without thinking, Kain'n draped his body over hers, letting some of his his weight hold her down. Comforting someone was out of his norm, but hoped the steady vibrations from his purrs would ease her tension.

Through heavy panting, she finally managed a few strained words, "What are you doing to me?"

Instead of giving an answer, Kain'n rested his forehead on hers, and deepened his purring. To his surprise, she actually began to relax. She put her palm on his chest as though to push him away, but there was no pressure behind it. Though she wouldn't look at him, she was no longer struggling to get off the bed.

His musk would seem more potent to those that were already attracted to him. And his purring would have a deeper effect the more they trusted him. Whether the ooman realized it or not, she was getting more comfortable with his presence. The pain would cease in a matter of minutes. After that, Kain'n was eager to see if she'd finally allow him to breed her.

His whole body suddenly tensed like stone right before there was a knock at the door, "Samantha! Are you alright?"

"Gary?" She croaked.

Kain'n placed his hand over her mouth with a snarl. He didn't want any more interruptions. The male knocked two more times, then there was the familiar sound of a key being inserted. Kain'n should have cloaked himself and backed away from the female. However, knowing that it was the same male he'd seen enter her apartment before just made him jealous.

He crawled out of bed, but firmly commanded, "Stay!"

He shouldn't have been surprised that she didn't listen. She immediately sat up, grabbing her head in pain. The more she moved, the faster her blood would carry the medication further away from the site of injection. It would begin to fix other areas of the body then, causing widespread pain. She only made it a few feet from the bed before she doubled over with her arms around her stomach.

The male noticed her immediately, and knelt down, "Samantha, what's wrong?" He quickly looked her over for injuries, then declared, "I'm taking you to the hospital!"

Kain'n had to growl to make his presence known.

As soon as the male glanced to the shadows, he leapt back with a jolt, "Jesus Christ!"

Gary rocked on his heels at first, just staring in shock. It seemed to take the male a moment to realize he was in danger. Once the initial surprise had worn off though, the male hardened his gaze. Gary squared off in front of him, and swiftly drew his gun. Kain'n took slow, ominous steps forward, allowing the ooman time to prepare for his attack. He didn't want to kill his prey too quickly-he preferred to savor their deaths.


	9. Chapter 9

Samantha woke up to a steady beeping sound and a pounding headache. Her eyes swept around the white-washed room, first at the heart monitor beside the bed, then finally to the handcuffs around her wrist. A dreaded sense of comprehension flooded in on her. Gary was dead, and they must have suspected she did it. The last thing she remembered was trying to break up the fight, and the crushing pain every time she tried to move. Everything else was fuzzy. She had to have passed out from the pain.

Now that she thought about it, her collar bone didn't hurt anymore. She peeked under her shirt at her shoulder. Though the large bruises had faded considerably, they were still there. Even when she poked it, there was no pain though-which was a bad sign. It must have really been broken for them to give her such heavy pain meds.

When the door opened, she expected it to be a police officer. Instead, it was someone far worse. It was her father. Samantha grimaced. He strode in wearing a dark grey business suit, with his lawyer close at his heels. The police officer came in next, and immediately unlocked the cuffs.

"Don't worry Samantha, I've taken care of everything." Before she could get in a word, he swiveled back around, "Meet me in the car-immediately."

As soon as the nurse and officer left the room, the lawyer embraced her in a tight hug, "You haven't been in trouble in a long time Sammi! I'm glad to finally see you again!"

"Ben, you know I hate nicknames." She teased.

When they leaned away, he squeezed her shoulder, "Are you ok?"

"It's been a hectic few days."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I...I can't." She sighed. "It's best if you get out of town for a while. People around me are dying, I don't want you to be next."

"That bad, huh? I can't imagine anyone having you and your father beat."

She grabbed her clothes to change out of the hospital gown, "Please, take my advice."

A sleek black limousine was waiting for her out front. She sat on the side between the body guards rather then next to her father. You almost couldn't tell the difference between them. Her father wasn't a small man at 6'3", 230lb. He was built like a bouncer at a nightclub, and looked just as serious.

As the car smoothly pulled away from the curb, Samantha stared at the liquor bottles in front of her. She was tempted after the day she'd had. She didn't want to mix whatever pain meds the hospital had given her with alcohol though. For several minutes they just rode in silence like that.

When she finally reached for a drink, Lyle spoke up, "You know very well those are not for you."

Samantha rolled her eyes like she was a teenager again, but didn't argue.

"You are a suspect to two murders."

"Two?"

"Your car was found outside one crime scene, then there was a decapitated body found in your apartment."

"Oh yea..."

"That's all you have to say?"

"Well what do you want me to say Lyle? You never listen to what I have to say anyway. You always go against my opinions. You overreact to everything!"

"I want to know who's killing in my city."

Her voice grew quieter, "You wouldn't believe me even if i told you."

He laced his fingers together and sat back in his seat.

She drew in a deep breath, "There is some something inhuman stalking me. It's killing people I interact with. At first I thought it wanted me dead, that it was just saving me for last. But, it turns out I don't know what it wants...All i know is that it collects skulls."

Her father didn't even blink, "I don't want you selling anymore, I don't want you near the stuff."

"I'm not on meth! I literally broke my collar bone trying to kill this thing!"

"Samantha," he pinched the bridge of his nose, "your body was in a state of shock when they found you. The hospital checked you for injuries, and found none. When they did a blood draw, they found some sort of drug in your system."

She felt her collar bone with her fingers, "Impossible. You can check the records at urgent care-they treated me for a fractured clavicle..." When she couldn't feel an irregularity, she lifted the bottom of her shirt up, "It stabbed me..."

Her father just stared at her with a frown. There was no mark. No stab wound at all. Even if she had been in a coma, there would have been a scar. Samantha's head spun.

"Don't worry, it wouldn't be the first time one of my dealers got hooked on their own product."

"I'm not just one of your dealers, I'm your daughter!"

"And that's why I intend to bring you back with me. You won't have access to any drugs, and if there does happen to be someone after you, they won't be able to reach you. My house is secure. You'll be safe there Sweety."

He didn't believe her, and she knew arguing with him would do no good.

"This is a serious issue, Samantha. The man found dead in your apartment wasn't just any tenet. Under my authority, he was to watch and guard you."

"What? I told you I didn't need a body guard! If he hadn't come into the apartment, he wouldn't have been killed!"

"No, if he had done his job, he wouldn't have been killed."

"You're heartless."

Lyle turned to stare out the window of the limo, "Someone took out your protection. I'll find out who, and I'll make them pay."

"I told you, he doesn't want me dead."

"Maybe not. But through you, he can get to me."

"Is that all your worried about? Yourself?" Samantha shook her head. "I guess I should leave then. Like I said, it follows me. I wouldn't want to endanger you."

As soon as she moved from her seat, one of his body guards reacted. She quickly punched him in the nose, then darted around him to get to the door. She flung herself out of the car and hit the pavement rolling. When she stood, she felt a spark of pain in her ankle. The stunts she was used to pulling were much easier when she was young.

The limo slowed, but didn't stop. He didn't care enough to chase after her. Samantha confidently spun around and headed the other way, but quickly realized she had nowhere to go. Her car was mangled, and likely impounded as evidence. Her apartment was a crime scene. If she was a suspect, she couldn't just jump on the next plane out of there.

She didn't have any friends she could stay with. Everyone she knew was an employee of her father's. And she had thought Gary was just a nice guy-turns out he had been obligated to help her. Samantha kept a credit card in her phone case for emergencies. She was glad she still had it in her pocket. The only option left was to get a motel room.

She returned from the vending machine with a KitKat and Doritos-not an unusual breakfast for her by any means. She had the chip bag in her mouth, and was trying to open it with her teeth when she caught sight of her room. A strange symbol was drawn below the door number in fresh blood. There were bones and animal parts at her doorstep as well, like some sort of voodoo shine.

She simply nudged open the door-the frame had been broken. She noticed the the human skull sitting on the bed immediately. Samantha shuffled inside and shut the door behind her before anyone saw. The skull wasn't gruesome or bloody though. It was perfectly clean-hell, it even looked polished. If Samantha didn't know any better, she would have guessed it was a prop replica.

Her eyes searched the room for a blurry, distorted outline of the creature. She slunk to the bathroom, and even peeled back the shower curtain. She was surprised he wasn't cloaked and hiding somewhere. Samantha returned to the skull on the bed then. Her hands were hovering around it to pick it up when there was a knock at the door. She just about jumped out of her skin.

The door didn't latch anymore, so it started to swing open. T. was standing behind it, "I didn't do it!"

"T.? You shouldn't be here."

"I noticed that. You have dead things on your doorstep."

"Yea." Samantha rubbed the back of her neck, not sure what to say.

It didn't take T. long to spot the skull, "Whoa! Is that...?"

"Yes."

"...Gary...?"

"I think so. Like I said, you shouldn't be here."

He wanted to give her time to rest and recoup. They were both hungry after the healing process. When the female left her room to get food, he'd taken the opportunity to mark her door. He was claiming her. Any yautja would know that if they wished to court her, there would be a fight. He had the right to court her first, before any other male.

After that, Kain'n left to find his own meal. When a stray ventured too close, he took his opportunity. He twisted the animals neck, then began to skin it. He didn't want to leave the female alone for too long though. He climbed up the side of the motel building with the half-eaten dog carcass. Then he perched on the edge of the roof and continued to carve into it with his claws.

When he was finished, he licked his mandibles clean then went to set the bones in front of her door among the others. That's went he caught the scent. Kain'n froze in front of the door, the cords of neck drawing tight. He could hear two voices coming from the room. There was a rival male inside with his female.

As soon as she heard the door creak, she knew they were in trouble. T's hand went right for his gun. As soon as he tried to pull it out though, it got stuck in the pocket of his hoodie. The alien was nothing more than a shimmering disturbance in the air-but she heard that distinct metallic slide as his wrist blades were drawn. Samantha stepped between them and held up both her hands to stop him-not that it worked. Her feet slid across the carpet.

"Stop!"

He halted immediately, but slowly leaned forward with a deep growl.

Her heart was pounding, but she willed herself not to be afraid, "He's a friend. Don't kill him."

Kain'n let out a disgruntled huff.

"T. drop your gun on the floor."

"What? Are you serious?"

"He won't kill me. Trust me on this."

"It's not you I'm worried about! He's gonna add my bones to that pile out there!"

The predator took a determined step forward, it's chest vibrating with an ominous growl. Three red dots suddenly lit up near its shoulder. When Samantha turned back to look at T., the cluster of dots was aimed at his chest. "Drop the gun, now!"

"Fuck!" T. tossed the gun to the floor a few feet away from him.

She heard the wrist blades retract, then the cloaking mechanism melted away. He was so tall, her hands weren't on his chest. They were on his abs, so very close to his pants line and that huge crotch guard. Samantha took a step back. Even though her hands were no longer on him, her eyes were.

It didn't matter that his mask was off. Without a heavy dose of fear directing her thoughts, she found herself more curious. "Did you heal my wounds?"

It's focus was still on T., but he rumbled, "Sei-i."

"You talk to it?" T. asked.

Samantha shrugged, "He seems to understand me."

"Ok. Sure. That's cool." He made it sound as if she was completely nuts.

As soon as T. made eye contact with him, Kain'n charged forward. The wrist blades were drawn in a blink of an eye. Samantha leapt forward and grabbed his arm to try to stop him even though she knew it was impossible. When he lifted his arm up, he took Samantha with him. Her toes dangled inches from the ground as she clutched his bulging muscles.

She tried to sooth his temper, "Take it easy Big Guy."

Kain'n huffed and grumbled, but his arm lowered until her feet touched the ground again. The wrist blades dissapeared. His posture was still tense though. His eyes were dead set on T.

"T. you better go."

"That's a good idea. He doesn't seem to like me. I gotta take you with me though."

A low growl was their only warning. He suddenly sidestepped around Samantha and charged like a bull. T. took off. He may have been a scrawny guy, but that made him fast and light on his feet. They did laps around the small motel room. Even when the predator had him cornered in the bathroom, T. managed to squeeze past him.

"T. just leave!"

"I can't! Your father told me to find you and bring you to him!" He panted.

Samantha crossed her arms, "I'm not going."

Kain'n had T. in front of the door now. His arms were spread wide, trying to keep him corralled. A bubbling growl emanated from his chest as he steadily moved closer. If the male didn't leave, he would initiate a challenge.

"Please girl, just come with me! You know I have a wife and a baby. If I don't do as Lyle says, I may lose them."

Samantha knew that's why Lyle had sent T. in the first place, and not just any thug. It was just like her father. Lyle knew when to use force, and when to use manipulation. No one was safe from her father, not even a wife and child. She had to go.

"Ok."

He shoved T. back with a growl, hard enough that he fall on his ass, landing on the concrete outside. Then the predator turned to her, staring her down with those intense orange eyes, and growling loudly like an idling engine. Samantha didn't turn her back to him as she scotched towards the bed. Just because she knew he wouldn't kill her didn't mean she completely trusted him. As soon as he lifted up the skull though, his back straightened and he fell silent.

"This is for me, isn't it?"

A low, baritone hum escaped him.

"Why?"

He hesitated to speak more than a few English words, knowing his pronunciation was off, "Ss'tay. I'll show yuu."

Samantha let out a disappointed breath, "It will have to wait then. I've gotta go."

She stripped the sheet off the bed and wrapped the skull in it so she could carry it outside. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. His mandibles twitched, slowly beginning to spread apart. She almost thought he was going to let her walk past him. At the last second though, he caught her arm.

"At night'fall I will com for yuu."

Samantha tore her hand out of his grip, her breaths becoming short. He still scared her. She couldn't deny that. However, there was something about him. Something that intrigued her.

"What's your name?"

"Kain'n."

She backed away, heading towards the door, "Samantha."

Her father's place was a large Mediterranean-inspired estate house with a pool. It was beautiful. It was also enclosed in a wall, patrolled by dogs, and monitored by security cameras. While they held T. back to be searched, Samantha strode inside. Instead of heading to her fathers office first, she headed down into the basement were most of the business was handled.

There, she found her uncle and two other men standing around a table. They had a young man gagged and tied down on the top of it. His head kept turning from side to side, dripping sweat. They placed a large rat on his stomach, then covered it with a bucket. As soon as her uncle pulled out a blow torch, she knew what they were doing. The rat would gnaw its way through the mans very bowls to escape the heat.

"Hey, you got that from a movie!"

Her uncle cracked a huge grin, "No I didn't."

"Yes you did! We watched it together, remember?"

"Our ancestors have been doing this for centuries...The movie just reminded me."

"Your such a lair Butchy."

He handed the blow torch over to one of the other guys and threw his arms around her, "It's nice to see you again girl. How have you been? Word on the street is you got a demon after you."

"Word on the street? You must mean T.'s big mouth."

"Well?"

"He's not exactly wrong." She carefully unwrapped the bed-sheet to show him the skull, "This was left on the bed...to scare me I guess."

"No."

"No? What do you mean no?"

"Take it from me. This was left to impress you. It would have been left with flesh intact and oozing blood if it were meant to frighten you. Instead, it took the time to clean and polish it like a trophy."

"It already left something fleshy for me before this. A severed hand."

Butchy seemed stumped for only a second, then asked, "Did the owner of that hand try to touch you? Hit you?"

Samantha's jaw went slack as she nodded.

"It seems your stalker is more of an admirer."

She was breathless, "There's no way."

Butchy chuckled.

"It's not funny! You haven't seen what this thing looks like!"

"It's hideous?"

"Well, no...but...It's a killer."

"No more than your father."

"All the more reason to stay away. I knew by the time I was fifteen that I would never fall for someone like my father-a smart, cold-hearted killer."

"Your father may be a murderer, and he's good at what he does, but he isn't cold-hearted. He cares for you very much."

"I'll believe that when I see proof." She wrapped up the skull, "I guess I have to go up there and speak to him?"

"That or he'll just come down here to find you."

Samantha trudged back upstairs to her father's office. She didn't bother to knock. He was waiting for her with his fingers laced on the desk and a stern expression on his face. Samantha set the wadded bed-sheet on the desk and carefully unfolded it to reveal the smooth, white skull. Her father sat back in his seat and looked up at her.

"Believe me now?"

"Dispose of it."

"No!" She surprised herself at how much she disagreed. Samantha cleared her throat, and kept her voice level this time, "Actually, I think I'm going to keep it."

He got a deep, authoritative tone-a voice that sent thugs to their knees and police running for the hills, "You will do as I say."

"Everything is done your way. I went to college and got the degree of YOUR choosing. I got the job YOU picked, all so you could dispose of bodies...I broke it off with my fiance because it was what YOU demanded."

"Through my ways, your bullies in high school were dealt with, you had a tutor through college, you got that nice loft apartment, and you've stayed out of jail."

"Did you have Jeremy killed?" She just blurted it out. It had been two years, but the question had always floated around in her head. Jeremy had disappeared right after she'd given him the ring back.

He hesitated, then he touched his mouth, "You think I'd kill your fiance?"

Lyle still wore his class ring. It was a bulky thing with a green stone, and he never took it off this thumb. When he started to fidget with it, Samantha felt she'd gotten her answer. She snatched the skull off his desk and took it with her.

Yautja translations:

Sei-i - Yes


	10. Chapter 10

Kain'n paced back and forth like a caged animal. The breeding season was a while away, but with the presence of a female in estrus, his body was entering the rut early. Yautjas weren't monogamous, but the more partners she had the less likely it was that she'd bear his offspring. Instincts had told him to stay close to the female in order to fight off other males. Instead, he'd allowed his female to leave with a rival male.

On top of that, he had allowed that male to see him uncloaked. Kain'n had been frustrated enough to plan on killing the male in her room-a lapse of control on his part. Even so, Kain'n wouldn't have felt any remorse for killing him. He had seen the bones on her doorstep and entered anyway. It would have been easy too. The male was unfit for a female such as Samantha.

Kain'n didn't stop pacing when his wrist device vibrated, alerting him to an incoming transmission. It was Shesaúda. He almost didn't answer it. He didn't need anymore frustration. However, if there was a problem with getting clearance for the ooman, he needed to know.

" _Go ahead_ " he growled.

" _You have full clearance. The ooman may be taken to Yaut to reside with you._ "

Kain'n slumped against the wall at hearing the good news, "You have my thanks, _Shesaúda._ "

" _You are very welcome. Just so you know, I already took the liberty of picking up the hyper-sonic._ "

Kain'n let out a low grumble.

" _Well you did get the female's consent, didn't you?_ "

" _Not yet._ "

" _This is your last night on that backwater planet! You should have taken my advice and looked through the documents on ooman courtship!_ "

" _No. As I have said before, I will court her MY way._ "

" _Your way isn't working! Stop being so stubborn and admit that!_ "

Kain'n was encouraged by the fact that Samantha had told him her name, and was keeping the skull. He knew he was close to winning her over, " _I feel it would not be true to myself to persuade her by any other means. It would border deceit to use ooman tactics, when that is not my true nature. She will know who I am, and come with me willingly._ "

" _You make it sound as if you're falling for her! If you want an ooman mate, read up on her culture and use that knowledge to your advantage. That, or pick a different female._ "

" _I will have no other._ "

" _Fine. I'm sending you the documents then_."

" _I will not read them._ " Kain'n ended the transmission with that.

Nightfall came quickly. Samantha unlocked the balcony doors to her room. Otherwise, he'd just break his way in. Then she'd turned out the lights so no one would spot him once he was inside. What she'd forgot to do was grab a weapon. Samantha quickly left the room to go retrieve one, but only made it to the end of the hall before stopping, and turning around.

Even though she still didn't know his motives, at least she knew he didn't want her dead. Having a weapon on her made her feel safer, but it was more likely to anger him. He'd put a knife through her forearm and stabbed her in the gut in self-defense. She didn't need that to happen again.

She went back to the room and sat on the bed, still fully dressed and even wearing shoes. She didn't plan on sleeping-not that she could have even if she wanted to. The room was too quiet. She listened to her own breathing, just waiting for him to jump out at her. Her eyes scanned the room every few seconds. She could do nothing more but wait.

She leapt off the bed in a heartbeat when she heard the dogs barking. Samantha pushed open the balcony doors and leaned out. There was a large pool and a garden area in the back yard, but she didn't see his cloaked form. She pulled her sleeves over her hands when a gust of wind swept past her. Despite the cold, she waited there even after the dogs went quiet.

A deep voice behind her growled, "Don't scre'am."

Samantha's back stiffened, and her heart sped up. She fought to calm her nerves as she slowly turned around. Even though she was anxious in his presence, she was eager to have her questions answered. She wanted to know what he wanted with her, and how he'd healed her. However, he was gone as fast as he'd appeared.

There was nothing but empty air. Samantha focused on the space in front of her, trying to discern a shimmer of a cloaking device. It took her a second to glance up, finding him up on the roof. He climbed closer, then perched on the edge with his mask tipped down at her. She could help but notice the way he moved. Like a panther, it was fluid and graceful-but with a glimpse of strength and speed. The very way he carried himself conveyed that he was predatory in nature.

She refused to be intimidated, "What are you doing?"

"Come for yuu."

"Heh, I don't think so."

A series of rapid clicks erupted from his chest, "Start run'ing."

He jumped off the roof, landing with a thud right in front of her, but Samantha held her ground. He slowly began to stalk around her. With the bio mask on, she couldn't tell that his eyes were roaming up and down her body. All she saw was how fast his breathing had become, and how tight he was holding his hands into fists. She didn't know he was trying to hold himself back.

He stopped behind her, close enough that she could feel the heat from his body, "I want to take yuu right here."

She didnt understand, "I'm not going to fight, or run."

"Good." He began to purr as he slowly moved his hands to hover around her hips, "I don't want yuu to fight anymore."

She turned around before he could touch her skin, "What do you want then?"

His chest rumbled as he took a step closer, "Yuu."

"Why? What for?"

He cocked his head. He wasn't sure is she was playing coy, or if the ooman really didn't know his intentions. If mating customs were that different, Shesaúda was right. He should have read the documents.

Doubt began to creep into his mind. Yautja females fought to test the males strength, but it was possible the ooman had really feared for her life. He had killed her attacker even though he was not a worthy trophy, had healed her, given her a skull, and marked her door. Still, if the ooman did not understand those gestures...every move he made would only succeed in frightening her.

He had slaughtered many oomans, and she knew that. He had killed in front of her even, wanting to impress her. He'd never conveyed clearly that she wasn't prey as well. Perhaps that was why she had fought him so persistently, even though he outweighed her, possessed greater skill, and experience. That was why his purrs had barely calmed her, and his musk had little effect before.

"Well...?"

Kain'n turned his face away. He'd never been one to stalk and harass unwilling females for sex-and it seemed he'd done just that. He thought that he'd been courting her for days, when in reality she had assumed he was hunting her. With a yautja female it wouldn't have been necessary to make sure she didn't feel threatened.

Now that he realized this oversight, he was having second-thoughts. The ooman was looking up at him with big, innocent steel-blue eyes. She was as naive as an uninitiated female entering her first breeding season.

She would be shocked and horrified at his advance.

Kain'n brushed past her, and the ooman immediately spoke up, "Where are you going?"

A sense of dishonor was twisting in his guts. He ignored the female, and climbed up the side of the wall to the roof. He quickly headed back the way he'd came, but it wasn't long before he heard the ooman climbing up after him. He peeked over his shoulder to watch her clawing at the roof tiles. He let out a soft trill of amusement.

As soon as she was able to lift herself up onto the roof, he turned and continued walking, "Hey! I asked where you're going!"

Samantha hurried to catch up with him, but there was still a bit of frost on the roof. Her arms flung over her head to try and balance, but she ended up on her ass, and quickly sliding down the rooftop. Kain'n didn't hesitate. He swiveled around and ran across the roof to catch her. He had time to drop to one knee and brace himself.

His knee stopped her fall, her legs ending up straddling his. Even the claws on his toes were digging into the clay tiles. Samantha let out a shaky breath. They were close enough to the edge that her feet were dangling off.

Kain'n tipped his head down, regarding her. She had been out on the balcony waiting for him even though the cold night air had her skin covered in goosebumps. At some point, she'd realized he didn't want her dead since she didn't have so much as a knife on her. Then she had followed him onto the roof...He wanted to think there was still a chance.

He carefully lowered to his elbows, keeping his claws on the roof and his weight off her. Her body tensed immediately and her eyes narrowed. She didn't completely trust him, that much was apparent. But that would come in time. What he wanted to know, was if she desired him.

He made a low, baritone noise as he looked down at her, admiring her features. His skin began to heat with arousal. His loins stired with need. Then his body released a potent musk. Still, the ooman remained tense and unaffected.

Kain'n's chest rumbled with a low purr then he commanded, "Take a deep bre'ath."

He finally got the reaction he'd been wanting. Her chest expanded, then her pupils dilated. Her exhale ended with a soft, barely audible whimper and Kain'n's whole body went rigid. He dug his claws into the roof with a growl, holding back. If another noise like that passed her lips, he'd have to tear off her clothes and claim her right then and there.

Her voice sounded dazed, "You never answered my question."

His chest rumbled.

"What do you want from me?"

"Flesh."

Samantha paled, "So you do want me dead then?"

"Not kill."

Her eyebrows pulled together, as if she still didn't know what he meant. Kain'n grunted. Then he slid his hand down the front of her body to roughly grab her sex. Her eyes shot wide. She understood now.

He wanted to fuck her...The realization electrified her. Her eyes looked over his onyx skin, how it rippled over the contours of his muscles. Then her gaze moved to his smooth dreds. They were exotic and different. He had her body responding in ways it really shouldn't have.

He dominated her in strength and height, and a certain part of her liked that. She wanted to be pinned down and ravaged. As big as he was, she knew that a certain appendage had to be just as large as the rest of him. There was a familiar stirring in her belly as she thought about it.

However, a sense of shame flooded in next. He may have been male, but he wasn't human. It wasn't right. She should have protested immediately, should have shoved him away. Instead, a curious paralysis gripped her.

"Yuu don't know how to ac'cept."

His hand lifted away from her sex, so that he could grab her arm. He straightened her fingers and positioned her hand so that her palm was facing him. His clawed fingers completely dwarfed hers as he placed his hand over the back of hers. He slowly applied pressure, bringing her palm towards his chest.

Even though his steady purrs weakened her resolve, she jerked her hand away at the last second. She knew he'd be upset. However, as violent as she'd seen him become, she never expected him to grab the dagger from his hip. A rush of adrenaline hit her immediately. She'd be damned if she was going to let him force himself on her.

Samantha reached for his hair with the intent of scratching her nails down the length of them. She just barely grazed them before he jumped up with a snarl. She got to her feet and steadily backed away. She thought he'd attack. Instead, he flipped the knife around in his hand so that he was holding the blade. He extended the handle out to her, purring loudly. The sound was like a strong sedative, but she refused to be tricked.

He set the dagger down on the roof, and grunted, "Gift."

He didn't move a muscle as she moved to pick up the dagger. It wasn't a trap. Samantha quickly deflated. She loved knives, but the gift meant much more than that. He'd always disarmed her and taken away her weapons before. Now, even after attacking him, he was giving her one. Even across species, she new he was asking for her trust.

She admired the small alien symbols in the blade for a moment, then glanced up to thank him, but he was gone. She was alone on the roof. Samantha quickly realized why. A guard patrolling around the house suddenly turned the corner. She went to flatten herself on the roof, but he spotted her immediately.

He lifted the walkie-talkie to his lips, "I found her. She's on the roof."

There was static for a second before a male voice answered, "Bring her back inside."

The guard lifted his arm, gesturing for her to come to him, "Don't make me get up there girl."

Samantha went to the shorter roof of the porte-cochère then climbed down with the dagger still in hand. As she walked beside the guard, she searched for the big guy. Even though she was used to looking for his distorted outline, it was still difficult to spot, especially at night. The man firmly grabbed her upper arm as he hauled her into the house. Before she could protest, she spotted the alien.

By the time he slipped in front of them, it was too late for her to say anything. She jumped in surprise a something was plunged into the guard's chest. Blood dripped to the ground, and a line of red slid down the invisible pole of the weapon. It slowly twisted then, making a sickening sound as it cracked apart his sternum. He jerked the combi-stick back, and the body fell to floor in a heap.

The air in front of her growled, "Mine."

Lyle and Butchy turned the corner to see Samantha standing beside a body. Lyle's eyes locked onto the bloodied spear-tip hovering in the air. In his age, his eyes weren't good enough to make out the outline of the creature, but the back of his neck prickled with the presence of a threat. His expression hardened as he drew his gun.

For whatever reason, she side-stepped in front of the alien, "Don't shoot!"

"Samantha, get away from it!"

"Lyle, listen to me! Don't provoke him! Just put your gun away!"

Two glowing orange eyes appeared above his daughters head, and Lyle didn't hesitate to pull the trigger. Samantha cringed, but the creature behind her didn't so much as move a muscle. Light blue waves of electricity crackled around the intruder before the cloaking mechanism melted away. There was a bullet lodged in the creature's metal mask. A guttural growl pulsed from its chest before he shoved Samantha aside and charged.

Lyle fired three shots in quick succession before the creature slammed into him. He lifted his head as he fell so it wouldn't hit the ground, but the weight of the creature knocked the wind out of his lungs. It felt as though he'd been hit by a bus and it was still parked on top of him. The creature seized his wrist before he could turn the gun on it.

Her father had been in the military for a good portion of his life, but Kain'n possessed an immense strength. Lyle held in for only a second before Kain'n was able to force his arm to the ground and toss the gun away. Kain'n's fingers tightened on the mans face, the veins in his hand bulging. Samantha wouldn't be surprised if he was capable of crushing a skull with his meaty fingers. As much as Samantha resented her father, she didn't wish him dead.

"Stop! Don't kill him!"

The man helplessly kicked his legs under him. His free arm pounded away at Kain'n's ribs, but not with enough force. After a few moments the mans face turned red and one eye went bloodshot. Kain'n leaned forward with a satisfied rumble, applying more pressure. In a moment, his skull would crack and cave in.

The ooman wrapped her arms around his bicep in an attempt to lift his hand off the mans face, "Kain'n!"

It wasn't necessary for the male to die. Kain'n had more than proved his worthiness to claim the female. Kain'n let out a throaty growl, but lept off of the male. Lyle pushed on his leg to help himself stand as he glared at the predator. Kain'n let out a snort in Lyle's direction, then turned and threw Samantha over his shoulder like he was hauling back a fresh kill.

"Get your hands off my daughter!"

Samantha shoved on Kain's shoulder, trying to free herself, "Lyle, he won't hurt me!"

Her father didn't listen. He grabbed the knife off Butchy's hip, then came at Kain'n with mad intent. Kain'n spun around, lifted one muscular leg, and kicked him square in the chest. Lyle landed on his back on the hard tile. As he recovered, Kain'n gently set Samantha down on her feet. He pressed his hand to her chest, pushing her into a corner where she'd be safest.

Lyle ran and slashed at the creature, going for its groin just to piss it off. He had to lure it away from his daughter. Before it could retaliate, Lyle turned and bolted. A snarl ripped from its chest as it ran after him.

Samantha took one step forward and felt Butchy's hand clamp onto her arm, "You'll get yourself killed trying to get between them."

She yanked her arm out of his grip, "I have to try!"

Samantha took off down the hall. When she came to a turn she just took a guess and went right. She skidded to a stop when a roar suddenly shook the paintings on the walls. She'd gone the wrong way. She spun around, following the increasing sound of their savagery-grunts, growls, and what sounded like body slams.

She took another tight corner, and suddenly her legs went right out from under her. Her side smacked the tile. Samantha shifted on the floor, looking at the blood under her. It was smeared over her skin and soaking into her clothes. She lifted her head then, and her heart constricted.


	11. Chapter 11

Her father was on his back, with the predators combi-stick embedded in his stomach. His hands were trembling, but they still clutched the pole of the weapon. Samantha shifted to her knees beside him, her breaths coming up short. She firmly pressed her hands to his stomach to slow the bleeding, but it steadily oozed between her fingers anyway. She knew he would die before he could reach a hospital.

"Heal him!"

Kain'n just stood there looming over them.

"I said heal him god-damn it!"

In the center of the abdomen, above the navel, and five inches below the skin was the largest artery in the ooman body. Severing it could result in death in as little as three seconds. Though the combi-stick hadn't completely severed it, the male was bleeding out too quick. His body wasn't strong enough to take the injection, and the enzyme cream was designed for shallow, minor wounds. His life would last only a few mere moments.

"Can not."

"Bullshit! You fucking do it right now!"

Kain'n let out a clipped growl and took a step back, refusing. He would not indulge her. His bio mask was never wrong, and it would be a waste of resources to try. Disfigurements and life-threatening wounds obtained by unhonorable actions were not to be healed anyway. The male had attacked him, and it was his own mistake that cost him his life.

Lyle's hands slipped to the floor. With one last breath, his chest stopped moving. Her fingers slowly curled around the fabric of his shirt. Her eyes began to glaze over. She blinked a few times then tightly squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to shed tears.

She swallowed hard, then lifted her head up to glare at the predator, "You did this!"

"No." He could see the fury swimming in the depths of her eyes. Kain'n purred, slow and steady.

She stood and ripped the combi-stick out of her father's body, "I don't want to see you ever again! You go back to whatever planet you came from, and don't come back!" She tipped the spear at him, "If I see you again, I'll kill you-and this time, I'll succeed."

Samantha tossed the combi-stick at his feet, then turned and trotted off. Though he felt her father's death wasn't his fault, he did feel a tinge of guilt. Kain'n bent down and retrieved the weapon, debating his next move. He needed to let her emotions settle before he approached her again, but he only only had a few hours before he had to vacate the planet. It wasn't enough time, especially if she insisted on trying to kill him again.

The differences were vast, but he tried to apply the situation as if he were on Yaut and Samantha was a normal female of his species. Her threats to kill him were of no concern. Females often acted uninterested, made idle threats, and fought back to test a male's interest in them. If there had been an altercation like this that caused the death of a female's sire though...Kain'n would have considered the courtship to be a failure, and moved on.

It took hours to deal with the police. They had her repeat her story several times, asked questions, and interrogated the staff in case they saw or heard anything. Butchy kept his mouth shut, and stuck to Samantha's fabricated story. No one else had witnessed what had killed her father. There was little evidence to prove anything either way-no signs of a break in, no fingerprints, no weapon.

As she lifted a cup of water to her to lips, she realized just how shaky she was. She quickly set the drink back down and settled in the chair as they collected the last bits of evidence they needed. Her eyes drifted to the drying smear of blood on the tile. As it turns out, the police didn't clean up afterwards-that costs extra. They only removed the body.

When everyone finally left, she trudged up to her room. She couldn't just flop down in bed, there was a pile of weapons sitting in the middle of it. The machete, iron ulu, the gun, and all her knives were there. She lifted up the cover to carelessly dump the weapons onto the floor. He wasn't in the room, so he must have returned her possessions and left for good.

She crawled into bed and hugged her arms around the pillow, "Good riddance."

Kain'n sat in front of the ship's controls, staring out the narrow observation window. He distantly ran his thumb back and forth across the brow of one of his ooman trophies. Samantha was not a logical choice anymore. But then again, his attraction to her wasn't necessarily logical. He was lured to her, drawn to her, and it wasn't for clear-cut, obvious reasons.

He'd been stuck on a particular female before, but the attraction always ended up fading. He new his interest in Samantha would diminish too, as time passed and the distance between them grew. He would apply himself to his hunts, and would cease to think about her. It was the normal course of things. As soon as the ship cleared Earth's atmosphere though, Kain'n felt a sharp sense of disappointment that he rarely experienced.

He didn't want to forget her. He didn't want to allow his interest to fade. He didn't want to loose the intense desire he felt for her. It was a conscious choice not to give up. He couldn't step on Earth's soil again, but he wouldn't let a simple technicality like that stop him.

He typed up a quick message, but hesitated sending it out. His colleagues would likely get a kick out of his request. It was an interesting challenge, and then Kain'n would owe them a favor in return. His female though, would not be so pleased. She would likely respond with hostility, and she was already upset with him.

He clicked his nails on the armrest a few times, but then hit send, "Ec oji fe'sh o'ruk, mei'hswei'l."

Samantha still went to work the next day. Once she got her stuff done, she stared out the window, waiting for all the employees to leave so she could lock up. There was a flurry outside. The wind carried the snow one direction, then suddenly another. It went back and forth like the thoughts in her mind.

When she heard heavy footsteps on the grated walkways, her heart leapt into her throat. She immediately jumped from her chair and swung open the office door. There were no employees-and no predator. She assumed it must have been a machine, or her imagination. Her chest ached some, knowing she'd never see him again.

A harsh clicking made her heart speed up and the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She rapidly scanned the machinery, searching. As soon as her eyes landed on his cloaked form though, anger weighed down her heart. It was wrong of her to still want to see him. What he'd done was unforgivable.

She'd told herself before never to get involved with a murderer like her father had been. Samantha tore herself away. She only got a few feet before his blurry outline stepped in front of her, blocking her path. He'd moved unusually fast even for him. One second he was on the top of the machinery, the next he was right in front of her.

She sidestepped past him, going to the door. As soon as she got it open, he was outside, standing directly in front of her. It gave her goosebumps. Something wasn't right. As she stared at his cloaked outline, she could swear that he was taller now.

He stomped towards her, and Samantha automatically backed away. She bumped into something hard and muscular behind her. It's massive chest took in a breath, rocking her forward. She spun around, seeing three cloaked figures now. The one behind her pushed the door shut, and she heard it latch.

It felt like her blood was being replaced by adrenaline. She grabbed the knife from her hip and the gun from her calf, "Who's first?"

The ship shuttered then groaned as the other vessel docked. Kain'n tensed, almost unable to stay in his seat. He was too eager to see her. He had to remind himself that she was not his yet. He could bring her on the ship against her will, but not to Yaut without her consent. This was his last chance to woo her.

There was a whoosh as the door opened, and he leaned forward in his seat. Kain'n expected to to see his beautiful female escorted to him by his hunt brothers. Instead, he watched as one of his comrades was carried on a stretcher past him. There were bullet wounds in his neck, but the injury that caught his eye most was the two severed dreds. They immediately headed to the medical bay with him.

Before he could ask what had happened, he heard a familiar voice. Samantha was huffing and cursing. The last male came into view, dragging his female in a net behind him. She struggled onto her knees, but when they hit the bump between the two ships, she pitched forward onto her face. She squirmed in the tangle of netting like something demented and feral.

Sweat beaded on her forehead from the heat inside the alien vessel. A fog swirled around her, thick, and slightly disorienting. Just as soon as she got to her knees again, her captor sharply jerked the net forward, and she flopped to her back. She extended her arms, holding the heavy netting off her. A familiar onyx-skinned predator suddenly hovered over her.

Her eyes bored into him, "You!"

He purred, well aware that she was still angry with him.

"I said I never wanted to see you again!" She pressed her eyes closed and shook her head, "I told you...I told you not to kill him."

"I did nott kill yuur sire."

"Bullshit! You're a monster, a killer! Now let me go!" She struggled to get out of the netting.

Kain'n helped to untangle her even though she tried to slap his hands away. She didn't calm once she was free. Kain'n clamped a hand on her shoulder to keep her still as he removed his mask. Her eyes studied his for a second, then she swung and slugged him in the mouth. Kain'n grunted like a gunshot, taken off guard.

He flexed his mandibles, finding they weren't damaged, then said, "Wa'tch."

She cringed as he placed his bio mask over her face, expecting him to lash out after hitting him. For all she knew, he intended to suffocate her with it. She twisted her body away and brought her hands up to remove the mask, but stilled as soon as a video began to play. It was in a sort of 3D heat vision, but she could make out enough details to know what was going on. It was the fight between Kain'n and her father.

After they dissapeared around the corner, they wrestled to the floor again. Kain'n had a chance to kill Lyle, but didn't take it. That's what gave her father the opportunity to grab the combi-stick. He stood with the short spear-like weapon in his hands, but he didn't know how to use it. Lyle's finger hit a button and it sprung open from its collapsed form with surprising force, and plunged into his torso.

She hung her head. Lyle had killed himself. If he had just listened to her, and not attacked Kain'n, he would have still had a heartbeat. Her only consolation was that he had seemed to do it to protect her. She had thought her father didn't care about her-he always treated her like another employee. In the end though, he'd given his life for her.

Kain'n slowly took the mask off her face with an ardent purr, "See, no kill."

When he reached out to stroke her cheek, she leaned away. The fact that Kain'n hadn't killed him after all was barely comforting at the moment. If he hadn't been there in the first place, Lyle wouldn't have felt the need to protect her. Kain'n was still the one that got her into this whole mess. He'd killed her friends, got her arrested. Now he'd even kidnapped her.

The ooman suddenly snatched the smartdisk from the holster on his thigh and sprung to her feet, "I told you that if I saw you again, I'd kill you."

Kain'n let out a snort, "Can tr'y."

Kain'n rose to his full height above her, with his back straight and his chest puffed out. He stood with confidence. Samantha saw it as arrogance. He thought she couldn't beat him, and that just made her more tenacious. Her storm-grey eyes expressed heavy dose of determination as she settled into a broader stance.

She attacked without warning, rotating her wrist with each slashing motion to maximize the blade's contact with his skin. She'd lost much of her fear of him since meeting. Without it, she was less hesitant to get close to him for a strike. Usually her anger made her sloppy. Now she fought with calm, collected focus-like a yautja.

Samantha knew better than to aim for his hair, neck, or wrists now. He seemed trained to protect those areas. She knew of less common, but just as life threatening areas to target on his body anyway. One of them was the median nerve in the crook of the elbow. She waited for a clear opportunity, then jerked the blade of the smart disk across the area. The disk must have been sharp-it sliced into his tough hide like butter.

His mandibles flared as he retaliated. With his first few punches, she was able to twist her shoulders or turn her head away. When she couldn't dodge them, she rolled with the punches so his fist didn't hit her so solidly. One strike came for her stomach though and all she could do was brace herself. She exhaled as she tightened her abs, and allowed the blow to push her backwards so it didn't hurt as bad.

Though hadn't rendered his one arm unusable, he rested it at his side after each punch. It was weakened. He had so much muscle, but slice the right nerves and they were useless. Another vital area was a located in the inner thigh. He took a step forward, providing her with a shot. She dug the smartdisk into his leg as she dropped to the ground, sliding on her hip.

On the floor, she was more vulnerable. She knew ahead of time that he'd try to get her pinned though. Samantha would never be able to take him down on her own. By getting him to drop to the ground, he was doing all the work for her. She just had to act fast. She desperately twisted around, having to avoid getting trapped under his weight at all costs. If she got pinned, it was game over.

She felt his hands close on her, and her heart jumped. She quickly made a horizontal cut across his lower back. The area was dense with nerves. On a human at least, the injury would result in massive pain and loss of motion in the upper torso. From the howl that tore from his throat, she was betting it hurt him.

Kain'n wouldn't take it easy on the female any longer. He grabbed a hold of her legs then body slammed his shoulder into her chest, bringing her to the floor. He straddled her then, knowing there was no easy escape from that position, especially with his weight advantage. He didn't realize that he'd just given her her next opportunity. Before he could pin her arms down, he felt the smartdisk dig into his armpit.

There was a large nerve close to the skin in under each arm. A simple blow to the nerve could cause severe pain and partial paralysis. A blade inserted into the armpit however, could prove to be fatal. It was the location of a major artery that lead to the heart.

Blood dripped down from the wound, and began to paint her hand in florescent green. The blade was close. It was possible that she would sever the artery before he had the chance to disarm her. His only option was the shoulder cannon. As soon as it lit up in red, her eyes narrowed.

"Sub'mit, or I will kill yuu."

"Don't think I won't do the same."

His chest pulsed with a deep growl as he debated his choices. A tie was not an option. It just wasn't the yautja way. Neither was giving up-there were yautjas that would refuse to submit, even if it meant their death. She would have to surrender, or they would both die.

Problem was, she was far from eager to submit. Her heart was pounding, and her breaths were fast and untame. Her arm that held the smart disk was shaking with spent adrenaline. Her eyes were locked on the plasma castor with a fiery intensity.

"...Gor'geous." He purred.

Her eyes flickered to his for a moment, then back to the shoulder cannon.

"Sub'mit."

"No."

Kain'n admired her resolve, so much like a yautja. Females of his kind would only submit for a short time during the mating season. He didn't know what standards to hold Samantha to-yautja or ooman. If she were yautja, it was unlikely that he would have managed to straddle her and get the plasma castor in her face. Still, if it did happen to occur and a yautja female refused to submit, Kain'n would back down.

His reputation and pride would be at stake if he yielded to an ooman. He had picked her for the strong female that she was though. Ooman or not, if he was persuing her like a mate, an equal, he had to treat her like one. He grumbled to himself with the decision, but powered off the shoulder cannon.

Samantha immediately droped her arm to the tile with a huge sigh, and let the smart disk slip from her fingers.

Kain'n lifted one arm across his torso and thumped his fist on his chest, "Yuu have my hon'or."

His hunt brothers departed as Kain'n tended to his wounds. Then he used his wrist device to direct the ship back to Earth. Cloaked, his ship hovered on top of a four-story building. The sunrise bathed the inside of the ship in an orange glow as the doors opened.

"Yuu are free to gow."

The ooman sauntered past Kain'n, without even giving him a second glance. Her eyes were set on the gentle fall of snow outside the ship. He steeled himself. Females made the mating choices, not males.

When she made it to the end of the ramp though, she suddenly spun around, "Take me with you."

Kain'n almost staggered.

Her voice grew more stern when he didn't respond, "That wasn't a question. I demand that you take me with you, wherever you're going. Ok?"

His chest rumbled, "Sei-i."

His female spent her time roaming the ship, and staring out the observation window. It wasn't long though before her body needed rest. Kain'n directed her to his bed, then watched her bundle herself up in the furs. A lump formed in his throat as he stared down at her, and his loins stirred with a burning urge. He had to stifle his arousal. He would wait for her indication that she was ready to mate, like any yautja female.

~Yautja translations~

Ec oji fe'sh o'ruk, mei'hswei'l - Bring her to me, brothers

Sei-i - Yes


	12. Chapter 12

Epilogue

They were almost to the home planet when his wrist device vibrated, signaling an incoming transmission, " _Greetings, Shesú-_ "

She interrupted him, " _Stop courting the ooman. Do not take her to Yaut._ "

Kain'n cocked his head.

" _I've watched the bio mask recordings you have of her, and cross referenced them with the information we have of Earth. She is a badblood, Kain'n._ "

He snorted, " _Untrue_."

" _I was able to pull up ooman files on her and translate them. She has been guilty of theft, smuggling, possession of unlawful weapons, and the sale of illegal substances. She will bring dishonor to your name._ "

" _She is_ _ **not**_ _a badblood!_ " Kain'n snarled, ending the transmission.

After a moment, Kain'n let out a tense breath. He had to take what Shesaúda had said into consideration. Yautja's valued honor and honesty too much to have a high crime rate. Few would even suspect an alien of theft, it was so uncommon in their culture. If Samantha were to be caught though, the punishment would be severe...Kain'n had wanted her, and in the end he'd got her. Now he just had to curb the ooman's behavior before she condemned them both.

~Te mutunga~ (Maori for "The end")

(Authors note: I had a bit more planned for this story, but I've kind of fallen out of love with Kain'n and lost inspiration. So, I'm leaving you with this cliffhanger instead...Figured it was better to leave the rest up to your imagination rather than just never update the story. Hate me if you will!)


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